A Whole New World
by BookwormKAH
Summary: Hermione starts school, and becomes friends with the twins. They go through the years, and Hermione and Fred get closer as they get older. This will span across all seven books, and maybe further. -CURRENTLY IN SEVENTH YEAR- Not cannon, OOC?, AU?, Fremione.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I know that this chapter is fast, but I like it. I just needed to get these years out of the way. Please enjoy! R&R. JKR owns Harry Potter

* * *

 **First Year:**

She was eleven when she first met the Weasley family, well she met four of them. Ron was in her year. The twins George and Fred were a couple years older than her. And Percy was five years older.

She had met Ronald first, on the train. She had been searching for Neville's toad when she had stumbled upon the compartment that held Ron and the infamous Harry Potter. Ron was also the Weasley brother that impressed her the least. He seemed lazy and quite rude the first time they met. Her opinion of him didn't change for a while.

The twins she met at the welcome feast. She had seen them on the train, of course, but she hadn't actually met them. She was first introduced when she sat next to them at the feast. She had plopped herself between two redheads. The one on her right was named Fred. As soon as she sat down, she had eyed the twins on her right. They had been talking the entire time the new students were being sorted.

"Are you two always this chatty?" She had hissed at them, and they both stared at her for a moment before giving their answer.

"Mostly." Said the one on her right.

"Yeah." Said the second one who was sitting next to his twin. She had stared at them for a moment, not having expected an answer, before rolling her eyes and looking back at the remaining students who had to be sorted.

The twins were also the first people at Hogwarts to make her laugh. Harry Potter had just been sorted into their house and the two older boys had jumped up and down, chanting "WE GOT POTTER!" she had clapped respectively, fighting a grin while they sang. When their own brother got sorted, she knew they were brothers since they looked quite similar, they didn't even clap. They just let out a couple low boos. They had said it just loud enough for her to hear, and she had laughed. She had always wanted siblings who would tease her like they were doing him, and seeing it live just made her think that it was silly. They had liked that they got her to laugh, and the moment Dumbledore had told them to eat, they both turned to her.

"I'm Fred Weasley. This here is George." The boy to her right, Fred, had said. He had hitched his thumb over his shoulder to gesture to his brother.

"Hermione." She said to them, smiling. This was when she met their fourth brother.

"Oh dear, don't tell me these two are bothering you." She heard from her left, she looked over and immediately knew he was another Weasley. "Percy, Prefect of Gryffindor." He said, sticking his hand out ceremoniously.

"Erm.. Hermione." She said, he seemed to be a bit full of himself, she had thought.

"Well don't let these two influence you too much. You should be spending time with students in your own year anyhow." He had said, looking at her sternly. She had glanced at the twins, who had matching grins before turning back to Percy with a grin of her own.

"Why would I do that when these two are just as well?" She had asked, making Percy's eyes bulge before turning back to the twins.

"Now, where were we?" She had asked, and they had shared a look with each other before making her switch seats with Fred.

"Oh you know, just making sure you were on our side." Fred had said, grinning even more.

She had become fast friends with the twins, and through them another boy named Lee during her first year. She got on with them great, though they teased her for being young. She helped the do their homework some nights, and they had recruited her to take part in their pranks.

She had then became friends with Harry and Ron after they had saved her from a troll. She still spent time with her three closest friends, but she ended up spending more of her time with Harry and Ron.

* * *

 **Second Year:**

After her adventure with Harry and Ron their first year she had spent more time with them their second year. Though the three of them sometimes found a way to spend time with the boys, she didn't see much of them. They weren't as close as they had been the year before. She had sent them a couple letters over the holiday, but eventually she stopped getting responses.

She had tried to hang out with them one evening, Harry and Ron were in detention and she wasn't. She had been doing some homework when the three fourth years boys sat down at the table next to hers. Grinning, she had moved tables to sit with them.

"Oh my." George had said, staring at her with wide eyes. Her smile had faltered, and she glanced over at Fred.

"Hermione Granger has blessed us with her presence." Fred had said sarcastically. She had then turned to Lee, frowning. He just gave her a sad smile and looked down at his papers.

"What's got your wand in a knot?" She had asked them.

"Why are you here?" Fred asked, and she had looked at the three boys taken aback.

"Well, Harry and Ron are in detention-" She had started before being cut off.

"Would you rather be hanging with them?" George had asked her.

"Well yes, they are my best friends after all." She had said, and the twins had shook their heads. They had gone back to their homework, not looking at her again. She had gone to bed early that night, upset.

After she had been petrified, she had woken to the twins by her hospital wing bed.

"God Hermione, we thought you were dead as a doornail." George had said, making her laugh. "Was it something I said?" George had asked, making Hermione laugh even harder.

After that, the twins had stuck by her side until they had to separate and go their ways for the summer holidays once more.

Over the summer that year, they wrote weekly letters. She told them about her family, they told her about what pranks they were planning to pull. She made sure to write to them, no matter how busy she was. Ron only wrote to her a handful of times, and Harry didn't write much to her at all, a couple times but then stopped.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I am working on two stories at the moment, so don't have me :) R&R! JKR owns Harry Potter! Okay, I said that the last chapter was short, then I read this one. Sorry.

* * *

 **Year 3 (current year):**

She met up with the Weasleys in Diagon Alley the day before the term started. She immediately fell in with the twins. They went and got their school things and then went and got some ice cream. They met up with Lee at Zonko's joke shop, then they stopped, at Hermione's request, at the magical pet shop.

They walked around the shop, admiring all of the animals that they saw. Hermione's eyes kept on the cats, but she didn't see one that she really liked.

Harry, who had run away from his home and was staying at the Leaky Cauldron until tomorrow, and Ron had met up with them at the shop. Hermione took a minute and walked with them while the boys looked at toads. When Ron was finally checking out at the counter, she found the perfect cat. He was orange, and after Ron and Harry walked out, the shopkeeper explained that he had been at the store for ages.

She walked over to the twins, holding the orange cat in her arms. She was grinning, and held him up to show them. They looked at the cat, then at Hermione before they each broke out in large grins.

"So.. what do you think?" She asked, looking from the twins to the fluffy orange cat in her arms. The boys looked at her then at eachother.

"He's perfect." They said in unison. They took turns petting the cat, running their long fingers through his hair.

"You like the cats because you've been one, don't you?" Fred teased, and she laughed a bit. She admired the cat in her arms, he snuggled into her neck a bit before she looked back up at the boys.

"Should we get going? I'm sure your mum will want to sit down for dinner soon." She suggested, and the boys nodded. They followed her out of the shop and back to the Leaky Couldron. She showed her new animal off to the Weasleys. Everyone but Ron told her how perfect her new cat was. He referred to her cat as a monster, and said that it would try to kill Scabbers, which she told him was crazy.

Ron then told her that as long as the cat was around, he wouldn't be hanging around. They got into a bit of a row about it before she stormed off. She went and sat down between Fred and George, who took turns holding Crookshanks while they ate dinner. She then fed him before they all went upstairs to bed.

The next morning, they were all in a rush to get to the train. Fred and George helped her get everything together while Crookshanks ran around the room. They had their hands full keeping him away from Ron and Scabbers.

Once they were all on the train, Hermione sat in the compartment with Fred, George, and Lee. Ron was still being a prat about her new animal, and she didn't quite feel like dealing with him the entire train ride. She was happy, sitting next to her best friends again. She was looking forward to this year, she was thinking while listening to the boys plan out some pranks for the start of the year.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a good start to the year. She was excited to start Care of Magical Creatures, and the new Defense teacher actually looked like he had promise. Hopefully they would actually learn something this year, last year was a disaster, and had led to Lockhart losing all credibility. She was excited for all her classes this year, McGonagall had vouched for her and had gotten her a time turner so that she would be able to take more classes.

She didn't like that she wasn't able to tell the twins about her time tuner. She _had_ been given strict instructions to not tell anyone about it. She had almost bumped into them right after they parted ways for her to go to class one day, and ever since then she had made sure that she was more careful, she wasn't even a week into school, she didn't want to ruin it already.

She was extremely excited for the third year's first day in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Fred, George and Lee had already had the class, and they loved the new professor. She was waiting in front of the classroom now, though she was about ten minutes early. She had a book sitting on her lap, open, to pass the time until class started.

"Hey Hermione." She heard, and she looked up, standing above her was Fred. Just Fred, nobody was with him, it was an odd sight.

"Oh, hey Fred." She said, folding the book closed and setting it down. He gestured next to her questioningly and she moved her bag to make a space for him. He sat down and picked up the book that she was reading.

"Is it any good?" He asked, eyeing the title on the spine, and she nodded.

"Yeah, you can borrow it any time you'd like." She said, and he nodded slightly in acknowledgement. He smiled and handed it back to her, she tucked it in her bag then looked back at him.

"So, what brings you here?" Hermione asked curiously, he just smiled mischievously at her. She felt heat crawling into her cheeks as she smiled knowingly. The boys had planned a prank, they usually tended to split up if they didn't have to actually be where the prank was so that they didn't get in trouble.

"Oh you know, this and that." He said, resting his head on the brick behind him. He was still smiling when she heard a bang from nearby.

"Fred, what was that?" She said softly, and he laughed lightly.

"Oh… Peeves dropping a suit of armor helmet onto Mrs. Norris." Fred chuckled, and Hermione looked at him, her mouth agape.

"Fred? A cat?" She asked in surprise. She may not like Mrs. Norris, but she didn't like the idea of hurting an animal.

"Oh. Don't worry Hermione." Fred said, looking at her seriously. "We made sure it was one with an opening for her to climb out of. We weren't going to hurt her at all, and we made that very clear to Peeves." He reassured her, and she nodded slowly. He looked down at his battered watch and stood up. "Bell's about to ring." He said, and he offered her a hand to help her up. She took it gratefully and he pulled her up onto her feet.

"Thanks Fred." She said, giving him a small smile, she was glad that he had stumbled upon her while trying to be as far away as possible from the large noise that had rung though the castle. "You should probably be getting to class, you have potions next, don't you?" She asked him, and he nodded nonchalantly. He stood next to her for another moment before turning on his heel.

"Thanks for hanging with me Hermione." He called as he walked away, making her grin as she entered the classroom next to her.

She loved DADA, it was a tie to be her favorite class, her other being Arithmancy. She told the boys all about her first day in the class that night over dinner, they listened to her enthusiastically until she was done speaking.

"So, anything happen to you guys today?" She asked them, and they all grinned at each other. "Anyone get detention today?" She asked knowingly. They all shook their heads, making her breath out a sigh of relief.

"So, you both have tryouts to watch over tonight, don't you?" She asked the twins, and they nodded. Their captain this year was determined to start training early this year to have a leg up on the competition. She sighed, she had already gotten used to hanging out with them before bed each night whether it was working on homework or planning out pranks.

"Yeah, but you and Lee are welcome to just watch from the stands if you'd like." Fred suggested, and George nodded enthusiastically. Hermione caught Lee's eyes and they seemed to reach a silent decision.

"Of course we will be there." Lee said, and the twins grinned appreciatively.

They all finished their dinner at about the same time, and walked together back up to the common room. The twins still had a couple hours before they had to down on the Quidditch pitch. They all sat in the common room around one table, deciding that they needed to get some homework done tonight so that they could enjoy their weekend. They worked studiously, Hermione occasionally answering questions for Harry and Ron since she knew that they had to be down on the pitch too. Well, Harry did, Ron was just going for moral support for his family and Harry.

After a couple hours, they put away their things and made their way leisurely down to the pitch. Hermione, Lee and Ron all found seats in the stands while the others made their way onto the pitch and mounted their brooms. Hermione imagined what it was like to fly on a broom, she didn't relish the thought. She hadn't even gotten into the air in their first year flying lessons when she decided that she never wanted to go onto a broom. She and Lee chatted while the tryouts went, occasionally cheering on their best friends.

Over an hour later, the team was put together and they had set up the practice schedule. Lee and Hermione met the twins on the way back to the castle and walked in a group to Gryffindor Tower.

"You both should have tried out, even just for laughs." George told them, his broom slung over his shoulder. Lee laughed.

"Come on mate, you know I can't fly for the life of me." He said, and the twins agreed with him.

"What about you Hermione?" Fred asked, and she shook her head.

"Not even you, Fred Weasley, would be able to coerce me onto a broom." She said sternly, and Fred grinned.

"Well, we'll see about that." He said, smiling at her.


	4. Chapter 4

Lee and Hermione made it a habit to go to the Quidditch practices whenever they were able. Hermione would just watch, while listening to the side commentary of Lee. He claimed he was practicing too, but it sounded like he was just trying to get all the silliness out before the first match.

"And there goes a Weasley twin, both of them are quite fit I suppose, oh he's hit the bludger into outer space! And here comes Spinnet, long hair flowing behind her like the princess she is." He would say, making Hermione laugh. And it would just get more ridiculous as the night got later.

Hermione had the sneaking suspicion that if she wasn't there, he wouldn't be doing commentary. Sometimes, she would bring a bit of homework and he would be silent all night.

At the moment, they were just waiting for Fred and George to walk out of the locker rooms. They were chatting when one of the twins walked out. Hermione looked over and smiled at him.

"Hey George." Lee said, and the twin nodded. Hermione looked over at Lee, confused.

"Lee, that's Fred." She said, and Lee squinted a moment before shrugging.

"Bloody hell, I can never tell." He said, grinning at the twin who was laughing. Fred went to Hermione's side and slung an arm around her shoulder.

"Just goes to show who cares more about us." He said, faux-pouting at Lee. Hermione blushed ferociously, which made Lee grin.

"Ah, yes, apparently." He said, his eyes locked with hers. There was a moment of awkward silence before George walked out of the locker room.

"Oi, Georgie, looks like Hermione can tell us apart. Maybe its my dashing good looks." Fred said to his brother, who rolled his eyes.

"We look the exact same ya git." He said as they all began walking to the castle. They talked about how the practice went, Hermione trying to really understand what had happened. They got up to Gryffindor Tower, and all started to enter before Lee held her back.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" HE asked her quietly, and she nodded. They waited for the twins to close the portrait hole before they began to speak.

"What is it Lee?" She asked him, tilting her head to the side slightly.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for embarrassing you earlier, I didn't mean to call anything out." He said, he looked genuinely upset with himself. Hermione put a hand onto his arm.

"Lee it's fine. I'm seriously okay." She said, giving him a smile. He let out a breath, relieved.

"Okay, good." HE said, and she started to turn to go through the portrait hole when he spoke again. "So how long have you fancied Fred?" He asked, and she turned back to him, red in the face once more.

"What?" She said quietly.

"Fred? Oh come off it, I can see they way you look at him, it's different from how you look at me and George." Lee said, raising his eyebrows.

"Lee, I'm not going to talk about this." She said, shaking her head.

"So I'm not getting a denial then?" He asked, pushing back a couple dreadlocks that had fallen into his face. She started to say something, but shut her mouth, pressing it into a thin line. He waited a moment for her to say something before grinning. "All right then. Well just so you know, you have my stamp of approval." He said as he stepped passed her and muttered the password to open up the portrait hole. He swept his arms in front of him, gesturing for her to enter first.

"Thanks Lee." She muttered as she stepped into the gaping hole in the wall.

"For?" She heard him say, and she gave him a significant look before entering into the common room.

"Ah, of course." She heard him say behind her, and she grinned.

"There you lot are, took your time with the chat I see. Well, when should we tick our calendar?" George said, and Hermione glanced at Lee, his face looked as puzzled as she was.

"I'm sorry, what are you talking about?" She asked, and George feigned shock.

"Well the wedding of course! As the only thing that takes that long to talk about is feelings. And you lot both walk in, smiling like a pair of loons. So of course, Lee proclaimed his love. Or was it our dear Hermione?" George finished his monologue and Hermione glanced at Fred, who was glaring at Lee.

"Neither, just had to run a joke by her for commentary. It's quite winded, as she had no problem telling me of course. Have to think something else up." Lee lied to him easily, and Hermione saw Fred relax, she tilted her head, wondering why he had been glaring at Lee.

"Can we hear it?" Fred asked enthusiastically, and Hermione glanced at Lee, who was staring at Fred. He seemed at a loss for words.

"Trust me Fred, that is one joke you never want to hear." Hermione said, making her way over to an empty table and taking a seat. Fred nodded, looking solemn. He patted Lee on the back as they walked over to join her.

"It's alright mate, I'm sure you were just having an off night. You will be funny again tomorrow." He said quite seriously. Hermione laughed, and didn't notice the beaming grin Fred had when she did. They all sat down with her and the boys talked about Quidditch until Hermione stood up, yawning.

"Alright boys, it's off to bed for me. See you lot in the morning." She said, she gave them a small wave and took the stairs to bed.

Lee turned slowly to look at Fred, who was staring at the stairs that led to the girl's dormitory that Hermione had just disappeared. He then glanced at George, who had also noticed where his twin was staring. He raised his eyebrows, then turned back to Fred.

"Oi, you could be a little less creepy." George said, and Fred looked at him.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, and George looked at him pointedly. Fred let out a sigh and placed his head in his hands.

"Do you fancy Hermione?" George asked his twin, who looked at him.

"Come off it mate. She's one of our best mates." Fred said, and both Lee and George continued to stare at him. "She's just…" He started, then placed his head back into his hands.

"She's just.." George said, hinting for Fred to speak.

"She's always nearby.. She laughs at my jokes… She's two years younger than us." Fred said, sounding defeated. "Two years, it's nothing. It'll go away." He said, and George glanced at Lee, who was grinning.

"Well mate, all I will say is you could do a lot worse." Lee said, and Fred gave him a tortured glance.

"Did you not hear me? She's only just fourteen." Fred said. "We," He circled his hand around the table, "are fifteen. That's not right." He said, and Lee shrugged.

"I'm just saying, few years down if no other girl catches your fancy, you could do a lot worse than Hermione." Lee said, George laughed and Fred glared at him.

"Lee, she has more brains than the lot of us. She won't go for a bloke like me." Fred said, and Lee shook his head.

"Mate, I'm pretty sure she's fancied you for a bit now. Now, I'm not saying go for it if it makes you feel weird. I'm just saying, if you lot still fancy each other in a couple years, why not give it a go?" Lee said, standing and letting out a yawn. "Anyway, it's bed for me. See you lot in the morning." Lee said, walking away.

"You think she fancies me?" Fred asked his twin softly, who shrugged a little.

"I couldn't say. What I can say though is I have noticed that she's around you loads more than she's around Lee and I. I can also tell you that she always chooses the seat next to you when she had a choice." He said gently, and Fred hit his head on the table softly.

"Do you think I fancy her?" Fred asked, his voice muffled slightly from being pressed against the wood.

"I'd say you do." George said, patting his twin on the back. "But I don't think it's wrong at all." He added, thinking about what Fred had said before. "I think, if you want to wait though you should, that you lot would make a good team." He said, and Fred looked up at him.

"You really think so?" He asked, lifting his head from the table.

"Yeah, I really do." George said solemnly. He then stood up and sighed. "We should get to bed." He said, and Fred nodded in agreement. They walked together to the dormitory, silent. It was going to be a long year.

A/N: This chapter is longer! YAY! Okay, so I know it might sound weird... Maybe it is for some people that they like each other at this stage? BUT if you read any of my other stories, I tend to draw a little from my own experience. From 13 to 15 i was infatuated (And not like a cute crush, we did.. things? Sneaking around at 13 is NOT a good idea btw) with somone that was 2 years older than me. Now, it didn't work out, he kinda just played with my heart a bit. But I'm not going to do that to these two. Much love- Bookworm


	5. Chapter 5

Lee started to notice how different Fred and Hermione acted around each other, and by the looks he was getting from George, he noticed it too. Hermione tended to be closer to Fred physically than the other boys, and Fred tended to act more mature whenever Hermione was around.

The first Quidditch game of the season was fast approaching, and the boys spent more and more time at practice every day. Hermione had stopped attending, saying that they were out too late, and she needed to spend that time studying for the finals in December. But first, Halloween. The boys liked to say that it was their third favorite holiday, the first being their birthday.

Hermione liked that her boys were excited for the holiday, as long as they didn't bother her with their pranks. She liked that they were having fun, but they had involved her in a prank already, and she had been furious. They had charmed all her books to drip ink when she opened them, and it had ruined her uniform when she had opened one. She had forced them to pay for a new shirt and made them promise to not involve her in any more of their pranks. They had agreed immediately, seeing her face, and she had gotten a new shirt in the mail two days later.

Halloween was finally upon them, and spirits were high in the castle. Hermione was excited for transfiguration, McGonagall was having them carve pumpkins with magic to make Jack-O-Lanterns for the Great Hall that night. She sympathized with the boys, they had potions with the Slytherins today. Snape was having them brew the Drought of Living Death that day. The boys were groaning all that morning at breakfast about it.

"Come on, why not skiv off? It's Halloween!" George said, and Fred grinned, but with a look toward Hermione, he shook his head.

"Naw… we should go to class. Anyway, I hear when it goes wrong, it explodes. I'll be a laugh." Fred said, grinning widely. Lee and George shared a look, before returning to their breakfast. "What was that?" Fred asked, and Lee looked up at him.

"Nothing mate, just hoped we could skip this one. It's gonna be hell." Lee shrugged, and Hermione glanced up at him. She looked over at George, who looked somewhat sad, then glanced at Fred, whose smile had slipped from his face. She glanced down at her breakfast before standing. She picked up her bag, and slung it over her shoulder. She looked at the boys that sat at the table, looking solemn. She dipped down to Fred's ear.

"You should just skip." She whispered. "Have a good day, see you at lunch." She said, she was about to stand up straight when he turned his head, and her lips brushed against his cheek. She straightened quickly, her cheeks bright red. George and Lee looked back and forth between the two of them, eyebrows raised. Hermione glanced at them and gave them a little wave before walking away quickly. She made her way to the transfiguration classroom and sat herself between Harry and Ron, they didn't spend much time together outside of class, but she tended to sit with them still when they did have classes together. She yawned as she sat down, the time turner had taken it's toll on her lately, and she seemed to be tired all the time. Harry looked over at her, concerned.

"You alright Hermione?" He asked her, and she nodded sheepishly.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Been staying up late studying and doing homework." She said, pulling out her books.

Harry nodded and they didn't speak for the rest of the class, which everyone had fun with. Hermione made her Lantern have two faces, she had the twins in mind when she carved it. She made each of the faces goofy, knowing that they would appreciate it. She just wanted them to have a good day, they had been working hard this term, trying to balance both Quidditch and school at the same time. She smiled proudly when McGonagall came to inspect it and gave her a nod of approval.

Her day passed by quickly, and lunch came all too quickly, bringing her back to what had happened that morning. She made her way slowly down to the Great Hall, she was nervous to see Fred again after she had accidentally kissed him. She got to the hall and made her way to the Gryffindor table, plopping down heavily. Lee was the first to join her, grinning.

"Hey Lee." She said, glancing at him.

"Hey Hermione, thanks for telling Fred he should skip. Excellent morning." He said happily. Hermione nodded and smiled, happy that they had had some fun. "Hey, so what happened this morning?" Lee asked casually.

"I'm sure I don't know what you are talking about." Hermione said, gazing at Lee. At that moment, Fred and George sat at the table. The three boys started chatting about their day excitedly when Dumbledore stood in front of the Head table on the risen platform. He spread his hands and everyone fell silent.

"Good afternoon everyone. As a special Halloween treat, classes for the rest of the day have been cancelled. Enjoy!" He said, his voice ringing through the Great Hall. His announcement was met with cheers, George and Fred cheered the loudest. Hermione grinned, she would have time to work on the homework due the next week. She bent down and grabbed a book from her bag. She set it down on the table only to have it snatched away.

"Hey!" She cried indignantly. Fred grinned at her, holding her book.

"Nope. Today is a day for fun. No homework today." He said sternly. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Well then what do you propose?" She asked him, folding her arms on the table.

"We could go fly." He said with a wicked grin.

A/N: This chapter is Short, and not amazing in any way. I admit, Kinda had a touch of writers block with this one, but its time for a new chapter to be out. So here it is. I do apologize that its not great. On another note: I did change Hermione's age to fourteen in the last chapter instead of thirteen after a guest left a review noting that to me.


	6. Chapter 6

**Important! A/N::::: I don't know HOW this happened, but i completely skipped posting a chapter! So, your update is for chapter five, instead of six. Super sorry about that! Go back and read!**

A/N: Okay, not the longest chapter, but I don't think it's that bad. Thank you for reading! JKR owns Harry Potter

"Fred Weasley I said NO!" Hermione said, the twins were quite literally dragging her by the arms toward the Quidditch pitch.

"Aw Hermione, come on, it could be fun, you might really like it." George said, and Fred nodded enthusiastically. Hermione shook her head furiously. Fred let out a sigh as they stepped onto the pitch and they stopped walking.

"How about this Hermione, what if you ride with one of us, and if you still don't want to after that, then we will never bug you about it again?" Fred suggested. Hermione eyed him, trying to figure out if he had an ulterior motive. Not seeing one, she sighed and crossed her arms.

"Fine, I'll fly with you Fred. _But_ ," She continued, raising one finger. "If I say we go down, _we go down_. Okay?" She said, and Fred nodded solemnly.

"Of course." He said, and he turned to walk to the broom cupboard nearby. She sighed and looked at Lee, she knew he didn't like flying either. He just shrugged and smiled at her. She bit her lip and glanced nervously at Fred and George, who seemed to be discussing which broom would be best to take her on.

"So why'd you choose Fred? Everyone knows that George has been flying longer." Lee said from next to her. She glanced at him and shrugged.

"I feel safer with Fred." She mumbled, then took a step forward toward Fred, who had chosen a broom and was now walking toward her with it in hand.

"Perfect one, its steady, and has a charm on it for beginners so that you can't fall off." Fred said proudly as Hermione eyed the broom. He stepped on leg over the handle, and held a hand out to her. "Come on, you said you would try it." He said, grinning. She let out a heavy breath and swung her leg over the handle.

"Okay, let's get this over with." Hermione said, and she heard Fred chuckle.

"Yes ma'am." He said, and she smiled at the tone of his voice. He kicked off the ground softly, and Fred hovered in the air for a moment. Hermione sucked in a breath and shut her eyes tightly. She felt them go forward slightly, and she let herself open her eyes a little, they were slowly moving around the pitch. She let her eyes open the rest of the way, it wasn't as bad as she thought it was going to be.

"Not so bad." She muttered, and she heard Fred laugh.

"Would you be okay if we went a little higher?" She heard him ask, and she nodded into his shoulder blades. They went higher into the air, and her hands moved from the broom handle to wrap around Fred. She felt the broom dip a little, and she gasped.

"Fred?" She asked, and he shook his head.

"It's okay, I'm sorry Hermione." She heard him say, and they climbed higher into the air. A few moments later, she tapped one hand on his shoulder and he turned his head a little.

"Fred, can we go down?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Sure." He said, and they slowly descended toward the ground under them. They met the grass softly and Hermione stumbled a little as she climbed off of the broom. She took a deep breath and placed her hands on the top of her head.

"Are you okay Hermione?" Fred asked, concerned, placing one hand on her back.

"Yeah, I'm okay." She said, letting her arms fall to her sides again and gave him a smile. "I think I'm all flown out for today though." She said. "I think I'll just go sit with Lee." She said, gesturing to where their friend sat in the stands. Fred gave her a wide grin.

"Thanks for trying Hermione." He said, and she nodded. He then hopped back onto his broom and flew off to join his twin in the air. She walked over to where Lee sat and flopped down next to him.

"So…. Flying?" He asked her, and she shook her head.

"Still don't like it." She said, and he barked out a laugh.

"You know that Fred is going to do everything he can to change your mind?" Lee asked her, and she shut her eyes, enjoying the sun on her face.

"Oh, I know." She said, smiling. "Maybe he will, who knows." She said, shrugging. She turned and looked at Lee, who was staring at her, mouth agape. "What?" She asked, and he shook his head.

"You would do a lot for him, wouldn't you?" He asked, and she nodded.

"Of course, he's my best friend." She said, watching the two boys flying in the sky.

"Oh Hermione, you wound me." Lee said dramatically, holding his hand over his heart. She laughed and pushed him lightly. "I thought we were all best friends together?" He said, giving her a faux pout. She grinned and shook her head.

"Oh, come on. Think about it. Those two are best friends." She said, pointing at the distant figures. "Period." She said, and Lee nodded in agreement. "And then there are sub-best friends. George favors you, plans more with you, and the same with Fred and I. I mean, I met Fred first, so…" She trailed off as Lee nodded.

"Yeah, I suppose that makes sense." Lee said, leaning back on his elbows. Hermione nodded, she knew that it made sense.

The feast that night was something that would go down in legend. Fred and George loved the pumpkin that Hermione had made, and had charmed it to fly around the Great Hall and sing. Dumbledore had commented on it after dessert, and the twins had promptly made his hair change to purple, which he had applauded. It was a great end to the perfect day for Hermione's best friends.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Sorry for the long wait! Its been a crazy few weeks. I hope that this chapter is satisfactory! I really tried to keep with the real story line, such as the first game, and the timing. I really tried. Enjoy! -Bookworm

* * *

The twins were focused more than ever on the upcoming Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff match. What was worse, the houses seemed a bit cold toward each other. The third years had quite a few classes with the Hufflepuffs, which made things difficult when they wouldn't properly work together during classes. Hermione found this extremely frustrating, though everyone seemed to enjoy the rivalry between the houses. She knew that it was only until after the match, but she couldn't help but feel sour about it all.

Hermione and Lee stopped going to the practices, they just stayed out too late, and with the midterm finals approaching in just over a month, Hermione blatantly refused to stay out in the freezing cold when she could be inside studying. Lee didn't spend nearly as much time as her studying, but he claimed that since the other boys were busy playing quidditch he got lonely, so Hermione would let him sit with her and work out new pranks for the twins and himself to do. Occasionally she would pull him into doing homework, and they would also read over whatever homework the twins had done, making sure that they wouldn't fail their classes.

It was on one of these nights that the Weasley twins had climbed into the common room, covered in mud and rainwater, and had found Hermione slumped over a table covered with various papers, asleep. George and Fred glanced at each other then back at the sleeping girl. Fred shook his head, he saw Lee's bag but he didn't see the other boy at the table. He felt George nudge his side, and followed where he was pointing to see a sleeping Lee in an armchair by the fireplace. He shook his head and walked over to Hermione while George made his way to Lee.

"Hermione." He said, when she didn't respond he placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her lightly. She sat poker straight, eyes wide.

"Sorry, just dozed." She said, shuffling some papers around. Fred chuckled and shook is head.

"Hermione, you should head to bed." He said softly, and she shook her head.

"We didn't finish looking over George's potions essay." She said, her searching became more frantic. "Where is it?" She hissed under her breath, and Fred looked up as Lee and George approached the table, Lee was in mid yawn when Fred spotted the long piece of parchment in his hand.

"Is that it?" He asked, nodding toward the paper Lee held, she snapped her head to the side and when she spotted it, she snatched it from him. She began to read it over when Lee placed a hand over it.

"I finished it Herm. We should all really head to bed, it's late." He stated, Hermione glanced at her watch and sighed when she started to gather up her books. Fred helped her stack her papers together, and she gave him a thankful smile before pushing them into her bag. She hitched it up onto her shoulder and they all walked together to the back of the common room. She paused before heading up the stairs, she glanced at her friends and gave them a smile.

" 'Night then." She said, and she was met with a chorus of goodnights and promises to see her in the morning. She climbed the stairs and entered her dormitory, she was met with the heavy breathing of slumbering girls, and she silently set down her bag before climbing into bed, thankful that tomorrow was Saturday.

* * *

The Great Hall was bustling with students carrying flags, all the same two colors. Of course, Slytherin would support Hufflepuff today, but Ravenclaw students seemed to be quite devided. Some sported the gold and crimson of Gryffindor, some held the yellow and black of Hufflepuff. The Gryffindor team were all sitting together in their freshly laundered robes, Hermione had just come down to breakfast, and stood, slightly lost on where to seat herself. She usually sat with the twins, but she felt odd about approaching them while they sat with the team. She glanced up and down the table and was about to make her way over to where Ron and Ginny were sitting, but before she could, she heard her name being called. She glanced toward the twins, she knew it had been Fred who called her name, he was standing and waving her over. She stared at him, nervous. He grinned, leaned down and spoke to his teammates quickly.

"Hermione, get over here, Fred and George saved you a seat." Katie Bell said, meeting Hermione's eyes. Hermione grinned and made her way to the empty seat next to Fred. She sat down and George proceeded to reach across Fred and put a plate loaded with food in front of her.

"So, you ready to finally see us in real action?" Katie said to her as she picked up a buttered roll, and Hermione grinned. The team had gotten to know Hermione very well, and had welcomed her to come to practices whenever she wanted. Oliver had stated that it was because the boys were gits if she wasn't around, and the rest of the team had been fast to agree.

"Yeah, I am." She said with a grin, and she really was. This was the first time that she hadn't dreaded the first match. Normally, it would have caused jinxes and curses to be thrown In the hallways. Normally, the first match of the season would have been against Slytherin, though this year they had requested not to be in the first match since Malfoy had been injured. Instead, Hermione was excited for her friends, she knew how much they loved the sport, even if she wasn't a fan.

The match was filled with excitement, though it didn't last long. The dementors had made sure of that. Hermione had rushed down the stands, Harry had fallen from his broom, and even though she was worried about him she was more worried about her two best friends that had been in the air at the same time as he had.

She had rushed down to the pitch, shoving her way past students. She got caught in the throng, and wasn't able to make it to where the team was. They were surrounding Dumbledore, who had Harry floating in front of him as though on a stretcher. She knew they were going to the hospital wing, so she slowed her steps to match the students making there way to the castle. When she finally was able to break from everyone around her, she jogged to the hospital wing and quickly found the crowd of players still in their crimson robes. She made her way to them silently, glad to see Fred and George standing. She sighed with relief when she got to them, they looked fine. Fred looked to the side at her, and grinned in greeting, though he still looked worried.

"Is he alright?" She said in a hushed tone, and Fred nodded.

"His brooms not though." She heard George say, and Ron turned to see who was talking. That was when she saw the bundle in his arms. She might not have known much about Quidditch, but she knew enough to know that was a shattered broomstick.

"What happened to it?" She asked with a gasp, her hands jumping to cover her mouth.

"Whomping Willow." Ron said, and Hermione's eyes grew wide.

"Oh dear." She said softly, and Fred put his arm around her.

"It'll be fine." He said, pulling her into a side hug. Hermione blushed slightly and shook her head.

"That's his broom.. He won't be able to fly if he doesn't get a new one." She said, and Fred bit his lip for a moment.

"Naw, he can use a school one." He said brightly, and Hermione gave him an incredulous glance.

"A school broom? Really Fred?" She asked, and Fred glanced at Harry before shrugging.

"It'll have to do." He said, and Hermione sighed at the exact moment that Harry began to stir.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: {I know I messed up the timeline a bit for when Harry gets his broom, but it is fanfiction after all} I hope you enjoy the chapter, I know I haven't updated in a while, but work is driving me batty. And when I do get a day off, I don't have the energy to do diddly squat. Anywho, much loves.

Fred and George were giving her the cold shoulder. And it wasn't just them, it was the entire team. When Harry had gotten the new broom, she had been worried that it might have come from Sirius Black and had expressed her concern with McGonagall, who had quickly agreed that some tests needed to be run before the next match.

"Hermione, it just wasn't your call to make. It was Harry's." Fred told her for what felt like the hundredth time when she tried to explain herself. She let out an angry sigh and stopped walking.

"Fred I was just worried." She said, her voice rising as he walked away from her.

"Not your call Granger." She heard him say, and her shoulders dropped, that was the first time he had called her by her surname and not by her name. She then realized her jaw had dropped, and she quickly snapped it shut and looked at the ground, her sight fuzzy with tears. She wrapped her arms around her and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

"Hermione?" She heard next to her, and she looked up to see Lee standing next to her, he reached out and touched her elbow softly. "Are you alright?" He asked, and she shook her head silently. He sighed and pulled her into a hug.

"Hey, don't worry. Eventually they will pull their heads out of their arses." He said, and she let out a chuckle and pulled away.

"So you don't think I was wrong?" She asked, and he thought for a moment before answering her.

"I think that what you did was a good idea, considering everything that is going on. I think that they wish you would have talked to them before doing it though. Even I was upset about it at first, but I know you were just trying to make sure someone wasn't trying to kill Harry, again." He said, and she gave him a weak smile.

"I just wish that they would see it that way." She said with a sigh. He shrugged and put one arm around her shoulder.

"Let's go get some breakfast, shall we?" He said, and she nodded as they began to walk. They entered the Great Hall together but when they reached the table, Hermione froze. Fred and George were sitting in a tight group made up of the Quidditch team, and Half of them eyed her angrily when she reached the table. She heard Lee sigh next to her before taking a seat at the end of the table.

"Grab a seat, will you?" He said, patting the seat next to him and with a fleeting look she sat down, away from her best friend. "Don't pay attention to them." He said under his breath, and Hermione nodded before grabbing a couple pieces of toast.

* * *

Weeks went by, until finally Harry had been given his broom back, with promises that it was safe to fly. Hermione thought that everything would go back to normal, but it didn't. She was put out with the fact that her best friends still weren't speaking with her. She spent all of her time with Lee, who was getting frustrated that Fred and George still weren't talking to her.

That is until one day she found Lee, who had Fred cornered and was speaking to him in an angry tone.

"Fred, she was just trying to help. Bloody hell you are so thick. All of you. Why can't you see that she was, _once again_ , trying to save Harry's skin? She's a brilliant girl, she knew what she was doing. And don't give me that bull about it not being her place. She was doing the right thing, the best thing." He said, and Fred glared at him.

"She reacted irrationally. Harry got a broom and like always, she assumed the worst." He said, and then he caught sight of Hermione, who stood a ways behind Lee. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Lee spoke once more.

"You lot are idiots. Shutting her out, you are supposed to be her best friend. At the beginning of term you told us that you fancied her." Hermione's mouth fell open at that. "And you know how she feels about you." He said, and blood rushed to Hermione's cheeks. "And after everything she has done, you give her the cold shoulder for weeks, _weeks_ Fred. Do you even know how upset she has been? Fred… she's an amazing witch and you lot have just been ignoring her." He said. Fred's attention was back on Lee, he had momentarily forgotten that Hermione was in the room.

"Well I don't know how I feel now Lee. She didn't speak to anyone about it. She betrayed all of us, and you seem to not care." He said angrily.

"I do care! But I don't think that she did anything wrong. I care more about her than you even know." Lee said, and he began to turn but Fred grabbed his arm. Hermione turned and left the room, and rested her back on the wall behind her, she shouldn't listen, but she couldn't pull herself away.

"What do you mean?" She heard Fred ask, and she could just imagine Lee shrugging.

"I don't know." She heard Lee mumble.

"Yes you do. Just spit it out Lee." Fred said, he sounded angry again.

"I fancy her, is that what you want to hear Fred? I've spent the last month being by her side, supporting her when nobody else was. I was all she had, since you all but ran away whenever she would try to speak with you. Did you once listen to her? Well I did. And that girl has a lot to say, I should've listened to her before. You should have too." He said, and Hermione heard footsteps coming toward her. She quickly pushed off the wall and made her way around the nearest corner before either of them could catch her listening. She continued to walk for a bit before finding an empty corridor and sitting down, taking deep breaths.

This shouldn't be happening. This wasn't supposed to happen this year. She shouldn't have made the broom her business. None of this would have happened if she had just kept to herself. She didn't want her friends to be fighting because of her. She sat with her back against the wall for a long time, thinking about how to fix what she had done.

"I need to speak to you three. Now." She said, she had found Fred, George and Lee all sitting in the common room when everyone else had already gone to bed. She sat down, and Fred started to stand but stopped when he caught sight of Hermione's face. She looked torn, almost broken, and it compelled him to stay. His heart hurt seeing her like this, Lee had been right. He needed to listen.

"Alright then." He said, and Hermione bit her lip before starting to speak.

"Look, I didn't mean to cause anything. I didn't mean to make everyone mad. I didn't think that what I did would do so much. I really was just trying to help." She said, looking up at the three boys sitting around the table. "I don't…" She took a deep breath in preparation for what she was about to say. "I don't think that any of this was a good idea, us being friends. It's just not working anymore." She saw Lee open his mouth to speak, but cut him off before he could. "That includes you." She said, eyeing Lee. "You were all friends before I came along, and now I've just ruined that. Don't try to argue. It's true." She said softly. "Please… I'll leave you alone. Just.. do the same." She said, standing and quickly leaving to go to her dormitory.

* * *

Christmas came before anyone knew it, and things were tense in the Common room since it was basically just the Weasleys, Harry and her left. They had gathered around the tree in the Common room, and had begun to open their presents, Hermione had gotten a few from her parents and had knitted her a sweater. Things had gotten even more tense though when Fred and George reached the gifts she had gotten them, she wanted to be friendly still, so she had given them the gifts she had originally gotten for them. They had been meaningful, thoughtful gifts. Now they just seemed a bit much. She had made sure to include a note for each of them, saying that she had gotten it before and to not think too much on it.

Fred stared down at the note, then shifted his gaze to the present he had just unwrapped. It was a picture frame that held two photos. The first of him, George and Lee in their first year, and the second was almost the exact same except Hermione was in the picture, from her first year. He held it tight in his hands, and he looked up at his twin. They both nodded at the same time and stood in unison. They made their way to Hermione, who was sitting at a table alone. They each sat down next to her and she looked up, startled.

"We're sorry." They said at the same time, and she stared at them.

"Excuse me?" She asked softly.

"We were gits. We should have listened to you. And we are really sorry." George said, Hermione nodded slowly and looked at Fred.

"Please.. take us back?" Fred asked softly. "I miss you." He said in almost a whisper, and Hermione was surprised that he had said "I" instead of "we". She thought for a moment before nodding once more.

"Only if you forgive me too. I promise, any decisions like that again and I'll speak to you first." She said, and the twins agreed quickly before giving her a hug from both sides.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thank you for continuing to read this! I'm actually really proud of my writing lately, so I hope you like this new chapter. My beta agreed that the time jump wasn't bad, she liked it. So If you don't... Make something up? Much love- Bookworm

 **-Time Jump-**

 **Year Four:**

It was summertime, things with the twins had long gone back to normal, and she was very excited to be at The Burrow for the summer, and she hung out with the twins every day. They spoke a lot about the events that had transpired before school ended, she had told them about rescuing Sirius Black, though she made them promise to not talk about it. She also told them about her timeturner.

"Are you going to use it again next year?" George asked her curiously.

"I don't think so… I worked myself too hard last term. I barely had time to sleep." She said, setting the book she had been reading open in her lap.

"You did seem awfully tired by the time exams rolled around." Fred added, and she nodded.

"Anyway, let's not talk about it anymore." She said, they had spent the last hour peppering her with questions. "Besides, I thought you two would be more excited about the World Cup?" She said, knowing that mentioning it would turn the conversation around completely.

"Oh yeah!" Fred said enthusiastically, making her smile. "I can't believe we actually got tickets!" He said, and he jumped out of his seat excitedly.

"And Ireland made it." George said, also standing.

"Ah yes. Ireland." Fred said wistfully. He and George stared at each other for a moment each with large grins plastered on their faces.

"Ireland… Ireland… IREland… IREland… IRELAND…" They started to chant and began to run around the room, Hermione laughing. They were interrupted by their door opening.

"Boys can you keep it down? And you know no doors closed when there's a girl in the room." She said, gesturing to Hermione. She blushed and stood up.

"Sorry Mrs. Weasley, it was my fault, I just closed it without thinking." She said, and Molly gave her a gentle smile.

"Oh it's alright dear. Why don't you lot join us for lunch downstairs?" She asked, and the three friends all followed the Weasley matriarch out of the room.

They all chatted quietly during lunch, until Harry arrived with Mr. Weasley. They all rose to greet him, and Mrs. Weasley began to fawn over him.

"Oh Harry dear, you are far too thin. Sit, sit. I'll make you a plate." She said, giving her husband a stern look. "I thought you were going to take the boys with you?" She said to him, pointing a spoon at the twins, and Hermione looked at them. They were both grinning.

"Well mum, we asked him if he needed us, and we haven't seen Hermione here in weeks, we just wanted to catch up. He said he didn't need us, so we stayed here." George explained, and Fred nodded furiously. She looked at her husband, who had a sheepish smile on his face.

"Sorry Dear." He said, and she sighed.

"Very well, you lot finish up your lunch and head outside. It's too nice to not be in the sun." They all quickly ate and shuffled outside, where Fred and George automatically went to the broom cupboard.

"Wanna try it again?" Fred asked, holding up a spare broom. Hermione gulped, but the hopeful look on his face, she couldn't bring herself to say no.

"Oh… alright." She said shakily, and he grinned widely when she took the broom gingerly into her hands.

"Alright, let's go." He said, they all mounted the brooms, though Hermione hesitated before doing so. She kicked off the ground, too hard, and shot up into the air.

"Woah, you alright Hermione?" She heard George say, and she nodded her head, she didn't want to risk getting sick if she opened her mouth. She stayed still for a moment before taking a deep, shaky breath. Fred and George rose up to each side of her, and waited for her to start moving. She flew slowly over the orchard behind their house, trying to enjoy herself. She forced her body to relax, being tense made the broom jerky. The boys went ahead of her, so she sped up to catch them when a rough gust of wind hit. She wasn't prepared. And due to the old broom, it didn't have a strong balance spell. She fell.

Falling was far scarier than flying, and it forced a scream out of her. She felt branches hit her, and finally she hit the ground, and she felt the air force itself from her lungs. She lay on the ground, trying to find her breath and looking up at the sky. She closed her eyes, she felt quite woozy. Finally, she was able to take a breath right as she heard the twins land next to her. She heard what sounded like a broom fall to the ground, and then she felt hands on her face.

"Hermione? Hermione are you alright?" She heard Fred say, he patted her cheek. "Hermione please say something, open your eyes. Please." He muttered, and she slowly opened them.

"Oh thank god." George said. They were both kneeling next to her, and both of them looked immensely relieved that she was alive.

"Are you hurt?" Fred asked, and Hermione took another breath before sitting up slowly. She slowly moved her arms, legs, and neck before shaking her head.

"No, I- I don't think so." She said, looking at Fred. He looked torn for a moment before lunging forward and hugging her tightly.

"No more flying." He said tightly, and she nodded into his shoulder. "Lets get you back." He said, standing and pulling her with him.

"You sure that you're alright?" George asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. She smiled and nodded at him before looking back at Fred, who has her hand gripped tightly in his.

"Fred?" She asked softly, and he shook his head tersely.

"Let's go." He said, and he practically dragged her behind him as he walked, broom in hand, back towards The Burrow.

"Fred? Can you slow down?" She heard George say behind them. Fred stopped walking for a moment until George caught up with them. "Mate she said that she's okay. Why are we heading back?" George asked, and Fred glared at him for a moment before walking again, this time a tad slower than before.

"Hermione I am so sorry. We knew you don't fly, shouldn't have asked." He said, and Hermione stumbled a little while they walked.

"Fred it's fine, I'm fine." She told him, and he shook his head.

"What if you had been hurt?" He asked her, they had exited the orchard and were standing still now. "What would we have done then?" He asked her. She blanked, and glanced at George, who was staring at his brother.

"Fred… I'm fine, I wasn't hurt. And if I had been, then you would have found out how to heal me. But you didn't need to." She said, and he looked at her, he looked pained.

"Hermione…" He said, and he placed one hand on her cheek. He stared into her eyes for a moment, and she felt her heart begin to race. He took a deep breath before shaking his head.

"I think we should head inside." He said, dropping his hand and letting go of hers, she suddenly felt cold. He walked away, and into the house, and Hermione turned to George.

"Is he alright?" She asked, and he looked at her before shrugging.

"I think he might just be shocked." He said slowly, and they headed into the house together.

It wasn't until that night when they saw Fred again, he finally came out of his room for dinner. Hermione was used to sitting next to him, so she left him a seat open next to her, he glanced at it before sitting across the table. George saw this, and took the saved seat. He stared at Fred until he looked up, he then glanced at Hermione before looking back down. Hermione looked at George, who shrugged helplessly.

After dinner, Fred went back to his room, but this time Hermione and George followed him. She shut the door behind them, knowing that Molly wouldn't be coming upstairs for a while.

"Fred, what is going on with you?" Hermione said as soon as she shut the door. He glanced up at them before sitting on his bed. "Fred talk to us. Please." She said, and he shook his head.

"It wouldn't have happened if I hadn't asked, knowing that you don't like flying. I was an idiot." He said, he placed his head in his hands and took a deep breath.

"Fred, it wasn't your fault." George said. He sat down next to his brother, and Hermione stood in front of them.

"Yes it was George. Don't try to say otherwise." He said.

"But Fred, I'm fine. Nothing happened." She said.

"Hermione, you shouldn't have fallen in the first place. I should have given you my broom, I renew the charms on it whenever I can. It would have been safer." He said, slapping his hands onto his legs in anger.

"Fred. Calm down. I'm fine. I'm not a great flyer, something like that was bound to happen no matter what broom I was on." Hermione said. "But I am completely fine, you don't need to be upset." She said, and he looked up at her.

"How are you not mad at me?" He asked, and she placed her hands on top of his.

"Because, it wasn't your fault, and I'm not hurt." She said, they locked eyes and she saw that his were shiny from unshed tears.

"But you could have been… you could have been seriously hurt." He whispered.

"But I wasn't. Now are we okay?" She asked him, and he nodded while letting out a deep breath. She smiled and hugged him. Without even thinking, she turned her head and kissed him on the cheek.

She immediately pulled back, both of the twins were staring at her in surprise. She covered her mouth, she hadn't even thought about it. Fred silently touched his cheek where her lips had been.

"Well… Goodnight." She said, and rushed out of the room.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: This is a short chapter, feel like you should be warned. SORRY! Love- Bookworm

It was so crowded. Hermione wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't the large crowd of wizards milling around. They had obviously come from all around the globe, and Hermione was fascinated. She had stopped, to speak to a young with from America, she had wanted to ask about Ilvermorny, but Fred and George and pulled her along.

"Why did you do that?" She hissed as they walked, and George laughed.

"Hermione, you would never be able to find the tent if we just left you there." He said, and after a moment of thought, she let out a resigned sigh.

"Oh don't worry Hermione, I'm sure you'll get plenty of other chances to study everyone later." Fred joked, making her blush.

"Here we are! Home sweet home." Mr. Weasley said a short while longer as they reached a small tent staked into the ground. Hermione stared at it, the boys had already gone inside, and she walked inside next to Ginny. She was amazed when they stepped inside, it was like a small house instead of a tent.

"Wow." She sighed, she gazed around, the tent had multiple rooms, a kitchen, even a small toilet.

"I love magic." She heard behind her, she turned and grinned at Harry, who seemed to be having the same reaction as her. She went over to the twins, who were sitting at the long table with their feet up.

"This is amazing." She said wistfully, and the twins grinned.

"So, you excited for the match?" Fred asked, patting the bench next to him. She took a seat and smiled.

"I am quite looking forward to it." She said, and the twins feigned shock.

"Oh my goodness, Hermione Granger excited about a Quidditch match. Never thought I would live to see the day." George said, holding a hand over his heart and taking deep breaths. Fred grinned at Hermione, who winked at him.

"You know," She said matter-of-factly. "I've been thinking of going out for the team this year. Maybe even go on to play professionally." She said to George with a straight face. This time, he really was shocked.

"What?" He said, looking back and forth between her and Fred, who had the brains to look surprised as well. "After what happened this summer?" He asked, and she shrugged.

"I mean, the worst has happened, right? Why not?" She asked, and George shook his head.

"You really are brilliant." He said, and Hermione smiled.

They were finally heading to the match, and Hermione was right next to Fred, she was almost jumping with excitement. She had gotten a green and grey scarf, in support of Ireland, and had even let Fred paint a clover on her cheek.

"Did you mean what you said earlier?" He asked, leaning down slightly so she could hear him over the crowd. She shrugged.

"I want to try again." She said, determined. Something about falling off of the broom last time had extinguished her fear.

"Even after last time you flew?" He asked, and she nodded. "Well… when we get back to school." He said, and she smiled.

"Thank you." She said to him, and he nodded happily.

The match was sure to go down in history, with Bulgaria losing even though they caught the snitch. Everyone was ecstatic with both teams, and they were celebrating in the tent when disaster struck. They had been separated. Fred had been holding her hand to make sure they hadn't been, but someone had pushed them apart and Hermione got lost. It felt like a long time later when she found Ron wandering around, looking for Harry. She joined him, not wanting to be alone. They found him just before the ministry officials arrived, and after making sure none of them had cast the dark mark that was looming over them, they were allowed to join the other Weasleys. She immediately went to Fred, who wrapped her into a hug.

"Are you okay?" He asked her, and she nodded. "I'm so sorry, one minute you were there, the next you were just gone."

"It's alright, lets just get back home." She said, and everyone agreed with her. They took the portkey back, she didn't like this means of travel at all, she thought as she stood up and brushed herself off.

"You alright?" George asked her, and she nodded.

"What about you? Are you both okay?" She asked the twins who stood in front of her, and they both nodded.

A week later, they went to Diagon Alley to get their supplies for the year, and once again Hermione fell in with the twins. They also met up with Lee, which they had arranged a couple days earlier.

She and Lee and a discussion through letters before the cup, she had told him that she had overheard the argument between him and Fred. He had apologized for what had happened, and made sure to make it clear that he thought of her as a friend, and nothing else. She was pleased that they could all go back to being friends so easily after the last year, and that things were back to normal with them.

They had a good time getting all their school things, they joked and talked about what classes they were taking, and she told them about wanting to fly again. Lee and her got everyone ice cream and they sat and ate them until it was time to meet up with the other Weasleys. They said goodbye to Lee, and soon they were back at The Burrow.

"Everyone have their things? Hermione, Harry you have everything?" Molly was asking as they all got ready to go back to Hogwarts.

"Yes, I have everything." She said, taking a bite of some toast while everyone else was bustling about grabbing last minute things. She picked up the Daily Prophet that was sitting on the table and began to read it, until Fred sat next to her.

"We're leaving in five minutes." He said, and she nodded. "Are you excited?" He asked, and she grinned. It was now something of an inside joke to ask that about everything. She looked at him and saw that he was grinning as well.

"Oh I don't know." She said, letting out a sigh, and making Fred laugh.

"Oh no, we have been a bad influence on you. You don't know if you are excited to go back to school and begin grueling over books!" Fred exclaimed. They continued on like this for a bit until they were interrupted by George.

"Oi, lovebirds. We're off. Unless you two would rather stay here all year." George said, and both of them jumped up from the table and grabbed their trunks.

They were going back to Hogwarts.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Finally in the fourth year! This is where things are going to slow down a bit as I try to make their relationship... well, more. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter! Love- Bookworm

The Triwizard Tournament. Hermione had read about it, of course, but she had never imagined that it would take place while she was at Hogwarts. The twins were livid that only students of age would be allowed to participate, even though she had reminded them that they had a chance of dying in said tournament.

"Who cares?" George had cried out, receiving a shocked glance from Hermione.

"Yeah, the last one hasn't happened for over a century!" Fred exclaimed, looking just as put out as his counterpart. Hermione let out an exasperated sigh.

"Well you have until October to come to terms with it." She said, turning back to the large volume she held in her hands.

"Hermione, stop reading. We are in the middle of a crisis!" Fred tried to block the words on her page, and she snatched the book out of his reach.

"Crisis?" She said, amused that they felt this was a crisis.

"It's a matter of honor." George tilted his head at her, grinning, and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Please explain." She sighed, closing her book and giving them her attention.

"Well you see, we would be the most famous Weasleys if we won." Fred reasoned, and she once again rolled her eyes.

"You two are…" She paused, trying to think of the right word. Fred and George didn't miss the opportunity though.

"Handsome?" Fred said.

"No, brilliant." George said, grinning.

"Perfect?"

"Twins?"

"Wizards?"

"Champions?" They said at the same time, and Hermione shook her head.

"Mad." She settled, and both boys started to laugh.

"Right you are Hermione, right you are." Lee said, joining them at the table.

"Oi, you're supposed to be on our side!" George exclaimed, and Fred nodded furiously.

"Not when she's right." Lee stated, pointing to Hermione, who beamed.

"Git." Fred said, glaring at Lee.

"You'll get over it." He said simply, and Fred shook his head.

"No. I'm going to be mad at you forever." He said. Hermione raised her eyebrows at him.

"If I remember, that didn't work too well last year." She said simply, and Fred and George stared at her with open mouths. She smiled sweetly at them and they snapped their jaws shut.

"Low blow Hermione." George said, but Fred couldn't help but let a small smile rest on his face.

* * *

"I told you not to do it." She said, shaking her head at the two boys in front of her, though you wouldn't know they were boys just from looking at them. They had shaggy grey hair, and had grey beards that reached their belt buckles.

"Hermione, we don't need to be told 'I told you so' right now." Fred said, shaking his head glumly.

"Okay Fred." She said softly, to where only he could hear her.

"We can't enter." George sounded miserable at this fact. Hermione shook her head sympathetically.

"Well… At least we can say we were at Hogwarts when it happened." Fred said wistfully, and George nodded.

"Oh come on, cheer up. The champions are going to be announced tonight. Maybe we know one." She said, and they stared at her for a moment. "Please?" She added, and they nodded.

"As soon as we get back to ruddy normal!" George said loudly, and at that moment Madam Pomfrey bustled around the wing, giving out potions.

"Honestly, if so many of you hadn't tried the same thing, you wouldn't have to wait." She said, roughly handing both boys a glass of potion. "Now drink up, you should be back to normal in just a few minutes." She told them, then hurried away to take care of her other charges.

As she had said, they were back to normal in no time, and the three of them walked back into the castle together. Hermione thought of something to say, the boys were glum enough as it is.

"So, who do you think will be chosen?" She asked, and both boys shrugged.

Cedric Diggory, Fleur Delacour, Victor Krum, and, worst of all, Harry Potter. Hermione seemed to be the only one that didn't think he had put his name in the goblet, though Fred and George were thrilled that they knew a champion. They had been a bit put off at first that he wouldn't tell them how he did it, but had gotten over the fact quite quickly.

"Gotta respect the man. I mean, no use telling how now that he got chosen." They would say, receiving eye rolls from Hermione.

"He didn't do it." She would tell them over and over.

Eventually, the buzz that Harry had inadvertently caused had died down, and after the first task, nobody was talking about how he had done it, only how brilliantly he had done. Ron had also forgiven him, which Hermione was grateful for. Not that she didn't enjoy spending time with Harry, but the twins didn't act normal around him. They were much more.. subdued, and it set Hermione on edge, thinking they were plotting silently instead of out loud.

Suddenly, everyone was receiving very curious packages. The girls extravagant dresses, the boys formal dress robes. There was much speculation, and everyone was writing to their parents asking why, but nobody gave any information. That is, until McGonagall summoned all Gryffindor students year four and up into the great hall one evening.

"The Yule Ball, is first and foremost, a dance." She said, and at that, everyone had begun to talk. The girls, excitedly. The boys, not so much. Hermione immediately looked at the twins, George was whispering in Fred's ear, but Fred was staring at Hermione. When she caught his eye, he looked away hurriedly and paid attention to what his brother was saying.

McGonagall taught them how to dance, using Ron as a partner, which caused much tittering of laughter to sweep the room. Hermione looked at the twins again, and saw them grinning ear to ear, cherishing the moment. She laughed silently, they were never going to let him live this down. When they were to come together to practice, Hermione bolted to Fred and George, not wanting to be caught in someone else's arms.

"One of you practice with me?" She begged, and George shoved Fred forward. He glanced back at his brother, who gave him an encouraging smile.

"I'm going to find Angelina." He said with a wink, and Fred let out a small sigh.

"Alright come here you." He said, and Hermione quickly stepped in front of him and they started to dance clumsily. Hermione didn't want to think about it, but she was nervous. She fancied Fred, and now they were dancing together. She thought back to last year, when he and Lee had been arguing. Only a couple sentences had stuck in her mind.

 _"_ _You told us that you fancied her.." Lee had said._

 _"_ _Well I don't know how I feel now." Fred had fired back._

It had left Hermione wondering, she looked up at him, it appeared he was thinking too. She smiled a little and decided to focus on the movement of her feet.

"Hermione." Fred blurted out suddenly, and she looked up at him again. He had stopped dancing, and she suddenly wondered if she had done something wrong.

"Fred?" She asked, and he himself looked startled that he had said her name. He physically shook his head, apparently trying to clear it.

"Bigger steps." He said finally, and she gave him a curious look before nodding and they started to dance once more. His words did help, it didn't seem like they were clumsy anymore, they were almost graceful now. When the music ended after what had been announced as their last practice dance, Fred did something that Hermione had not been expecting. It was like a scene from a film, Hermione's heart thudded when he dipped her low, and paused for just a moment. His eyes were locked with hers, and right before he brought her right again, her mouth fell into a small 'o'. A smile flicked onto his face and his eyes went to her mouth for the tiniest of moments before he righted them both. He took a bow as people clapped and whistled, and Hermione stood straight, stunned. What had just happened?

The ball was approaching much quicker that Hermione liked, and she still didn't have a date. She had been asked by Krum, but she had politely declined. He had told her that if she changed her mind to come and get him. Everyone was in the great hall, working on their essay final for potions, when she resigned herself to the fact that she may just have to take him up on that. Harry and Ron were muttering about getting dates when George passed him a note.

 _Better get a move on before all the good ones are gone_

Hermione read it over his shoulder and looked at George and Fred quizzically, knowing for a fact neither of them had asked anyone to go with them as of that moment.

"Who are you going with then?" He asked George, who threw a balled up paper and Angelina, who sat on Hermione's right.

"Do you want to go to the ball with me?" He whispered, making gestures at the same time. She grinned and nodded her head.

"Well alright then? What about you?" He asked Fred, who had just finished passing a note discreetly to Hermione. She opened it, and grinned.

 _Want to go to the ball with me love? I am the better looking twin._

She looked up and grinned at him, a silent yes.

"Oh, it's a surprise you know." Fred said smartly to his brother, who let out a frustrated sigh.

"This is mad." He muttered to Harry. Fred winked at Hermione, who blushed furiously. Harry and Ron started talking in hushed tones once more before Ron suddenly turned to Hermione.

"Oi, you're a girl." He said brightly.

"Oh, well spotted." She said dryly, finishing up her paper at the same time.

"Well then go to the ball with me!" He said, and she glared at him.

"No Ronald." She said, standing up and grabbing her roll of parchment.

"What? Why not?" He said in a loud whisper. Hermione walked to Snape and turned in her essay before walking back to her seat to grab her things.

"Believe it or not, someone's already asked me." She hissed under her breath, stuffing her things in her bag. "And I said yes." She said, turning and leaving the Great Hall.

Ron turned to look at his brothers, a look of shock on her face.

"Who asked her?" He knew that if anyone knew who her date was, it would be them. The identical boys looked at eachother before facing their little brother and shrugging at the same time.

"No clue." Fred said, also picking up his parchment to turn it in.

"But he made a good move." George added, and they left the table. Ron deflated and looked down at his half finished essay.

"We'll never get dates." He said sourly, and Harry nodded glumly.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: BIG MOMENT in this chapter. It is dialogue heavy, but that's OKAY. Anyway, read and review! And follow, and favorite, and read my other fics. Only if you want to though. Enjoy! Also, haven't made a disclaimer in a while, I feel its unnecessary buuut: I DONT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ITS WORLD. just my thoughts. Love- Bookworm

* * *

"What are you wearing?" George asked, sitting next to Hermione in the common room.

"Pardon?" She asked, looking up from her homework with an incredulous look.

"The ball? You should coordinate, so I've been sent to see what you are wearing." George explained, flicking a piece of paper around the table.

"Oh, erm I haven't quite settled on anything as of now." She said, and he looked shocked.

"Hermione, the ball is two weeks away, you best get a move on." He said, and she huffed.

"Fine. Then you help me pick." She said, pulling a thick envelope from her bag. "Mum sent me cutouts of dresses to choose from." She explained, pouring the catalog cutouts onto the table. George spread them out, and picked one up.

"What about this one?" He asked, the dress in question was a short orange dress that had a tulle skirt. Hermione wrinkled her nose at it, and George laughed.

"George, it's a ball, not a club." She stated, letting out a sigh as she looked at the pictures. They sat in silence for only a moment before George's hand shot out, pushing quite a few of the cutouts on the floor on his mission to grab the one he had just spotted.

"This one." He said, and Hermione noted that it wasn't formed as a question. She leaned over and looked at it.

"George, good eye." She said, trying to not sound too excited. It really was a beautiful dress. It was periwinkle, and had layers that cascaded down like a waterfall, it looked quite elegant.

"Okay, well now I can tell him." He said, eyeing her. "And you best tell your parents which one you want." He said, handing her the picture back. She sighed as he also shoved a blank bit of parchment under her nose. "Now." He ordered, before standing up from the table and walking away.

* * *

"Oh come on, just tell us who you are going with." Ron said, and she let out an angry sigh.

"No." She said, trying to pay attention to Professor Sprout.

"Well why not?" Ron asked, ripping a leaf off of a nearby plant and getting a glare from Neville.

"You'll laugh at me." She said, trying to get him off her back about the subject and turning to the plant in front of her to feed it, Sprout had finished with her instructions and now there was talk all around the room.

"But-" Ron started, but Harry cut him off.

"Just leave it alone mate." He said, and shook his head. Hermione gave him a grateful smile. She was really tired of Ron bothering her about the subject whenever they were in class.

Ron decided to flat out ignore Hermione, which suited her just fine. He no longer was asking for help on his homework, which meant she finished her own much faster the following weeks.

* * *

"Are you excited about tomorrow?" Parvati Patil asked, and Hermione blushed.

"A bit." She tried to sound calm, though her heart was beating very hard against her chest at the fact that tomorrow she would be taken to a ball by Fred Weasley.

"You really won't say who you're going with?" Parvati asked wistfully, and Hermione shook her head with a chuckle, somehow her asking wasn't as annoying as Ron asking her.

"You are so close, it's only tomorrow, surely you can hold out?" Hermione asked, sitting on her bed, the two girls now facing each other. Hermione grinned as she watched the girl opposite her have an internal battle with herself.

"Ugh, fine. I can wait. You should know the expense is killing me though." She said, pointing accusingly at Hermione. She smiled and nodded.

"I imagine that quite a few people are feeling that way." Hermione stated, and Parvati nodded in agreement. "Oh, I do have a favor to ask of you though." Hermione said, a little nervous.

"Yes?" She nodded for Hermione to ask.

"Well, I need help with this tomorrow." She said, stroking a lock of her curly hair.

"Oh of course I'll help you!" Parvati exclaimed, she continued to go on about different styles and products, Hermione only half listening to what she was saying.

That morning, the Great Hall seemed to really be buzzing, everyone was highly talkative about the Ball. She was sitting with the twins and Lee, they weren't talking about the ball though.

"No, I reckon that the second will be worse." Lee was saying, and George laughed.

"Worse than Dragons?" He asked, still laughing slightly.

"I reckon it's going to be different, but around the same level of danger." Hermione inserted, and Fred looked at her quizzically.

"What do you mean?" He asked, George and Lee turning their attention to her as well.

"Well I mean, if you have ever read up on the Tournament, you see that the first and second tasks are usually different. Complete opposites but equally dangerous." She explained, and the boys shared looks with each other. She turned back to her breakfast with a shrug and the boys continued with their conversation, expanding on their thoughts given their newfound information.

They spent most of their day being lazy in the common room, Hermione reading her book and Fred and George planning an elaborate prank. It was about four in the evening when Parvati came up to Hermione.

"We should go get ready." She said, and Hermione nodded, setting her book aside.

"Blimey, the ball doesn't start for three hours." George said, aghast. "You need three hours to get ready?" He asked, and Hermione shared a look with Parvati.

"Perfection takes time." Parvati said wisely, and Hermione grinned.

"Yes, so we shall go." She said, grabbing Parvati's arm and leading them up into their dormitory.

It took a long time for her hair to be tamed, though Hermione gasped when she saw it.

"Parvati… It's lovely." She said, and the other girl grinned, happy with her handiwork. They quickly did Parvati's hair, hers taking much less time, then they dressed. Parvati was speechless at Hermione's dress, and had one hand covering her mouth.

"Whoever is taking you tonight… is one lucky bloke." She said after a moment. Hermione let out an uncharacteristic giggle. They finished up their looks, and walked down into the Common room. She and Fred had agreed to meet down in the Entrance Hall, and she and Angelina had agreed that they would walk down together. They grinned at each other and walked out of the portrait hole. They walked down to the Entrance Hall, both turning heads of people they passed.

"Can you imagine how many people will be staring once they see that we are going with the twins?" She whispered into Hermione's ear, who blushed when she saw the two redheads standing tall, waiting for their dates.

"Oh I don't think we'll need to imagine much longer." She said, staring at Fred as they walked. The twins hadn't seen them yet, and Hermione's heart was pounding. She reached out and grasped Angelina's hand for just a moment before they stepped off the stairs and the twins caught sight of them.

"Hermione." She saw Fred's mouth move, though she didn't hear him. She stopped walking, he was wearing a crisp black set of dress robes, with a bow that matched the color of her dress exactly. He had a lopsided smile set on his face, and he walked briskly to where she was standing. Hermione's mind flashed back to when Fred and Lee had the fight last year.

 _"_ _Well I don't know how I feel."_ She heard him say in her thoughts.

Well, she knew how she felt, and it was time that he knew too. He reached her and held out his hand.

"You look-" He started, but was cut off by Hermione flinging herself to him and kissing him full on the mouth. His eyes opened wide before he wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss enthusiastically. They stayed, arms around each other for a long moment before a throat cleared.

George stood next to them, eyebrows raised. He looked around, and Hermione saw that they were being stared at from all directions, she stepped away from Fred, blushing deeply.

"Well.. Shall we?" She asked, looking at Fred, who had a large grin plastered on his face.

"Oh we shall." He said, holding his arm out for her to take.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I know I haven't written in a while, and for that I am extremely sorry. Life has been crazy. I don't have any sort of schedule made for my stories, so I'm not sure when I will update again, but it will not be like five months again. Thank you to everyone who is still reading this for your continued support. Much love- Bookworm

* * *

They danced. A lot. Fred, as it turned out, was actually a very good dancer. They took a break when George came over to them and begged them to come get drinks. They walked beside him and Angelina, the girls in the middle, and Hermione was holding gently onto Fred's hand.

Hermione's smile disappeared when Ron appeared in front of them, looking mad. He looked between Fred and Hermione and put his hands on his hips, glaring. Hermione bit her lip, she had known that Ron would react badly.

"Well hello little brother." Fred said cheerfully, and Ron scowled. Ron turned to Hermione, and pointed at her hand that was resting in Fred's.

"Him? You said yes to Fred?" Ron asked, and Hermione nodded.

"Yes, why?" She asked, confused as to why he was upset.

"Hermione, he's two years ahead of us." Ron hissed, and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You wanted to ask Fleur to the ball, and she is seventeen." She said, and Fred squeezed her hand softly.

"That's different." Ron said, venom dripping from his voice.

"You're right, it is different, Fred and I are together, and you and Fleur are not." Hermione said. She glanced at Fred, who was beaming at her, then back at Ron, whose mouth was open in shock.

"You two…" He pointed between them, "are together?" He asked, and Hermione nodded firmly. "Oh god… wait till mum hears about this, she's going to lose it." He said, and at that statement, Hermione's heart sped up, she hadn't thought much about that fact yet.

"Yes, but we will worry about that when we go back home for Christmas." Fred said, wrapping his arm around Hermione's shoulders and steering her around Ron. They finally made it to the refreshments table, and Fred grabbed two bottles of butterbeer. "Here you go." He said, handing one to her, and she smiled to him in thanks. She took a sip, and looked up at him nervously. "Are you alright Hermione?" He asked, and she shrugged, Ron's comment had made her start thinking about how people would react to them being together.

"Fred, was Ron right? About your mum losing it?" Hermione asked, Fred gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment before he answered.

"Possibly, although I think it's more likely that she might lose it because you are the first girl I'll have brought home." He said, giving her a grin. She laughed and suddenly, George and Angelina were next to them once more.

"Well that was tense." George said cheerfully, And Fred laughed.

"Our sweet little brother, trying to watch out for our Hermione girl." Fred laughed, wrapping an arm around her as he said it. She smiled and glanced over to where Ron was, he was still there, now he was speaking with Harry. Fred noted where she was looking and grabbed the butterbeer back from her.

"Maybe we should head up to bed, we have to pack so we can leave tomorrow." Fred said gently, and she nodded her head in agreement. She and Fred said goodnight to George and Angelina before heading up to the Gryffindor common room.

They walked in silence for a while before Fred finally spoke.

"Don't let what he said spook you Hermione. It's going to be fine, alright?" He asked, and she nodded her head. "Hermione." He said, as he stopped o the stairs, and she turned to face him.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"It's going to be fine." He repeated, and she smiled at him.

"Okay Fred." She said, and at his name coming from her mouth, he grinned.

"So… are we official then?" He asked her, as they started to walk again, and she laughed.

"Might as well be, you did take me to a ball after all." She said as they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Yuletide." Hermione said, and they climbed into the common room together.

"Well in that case, goodnight." Fred said, pulling her into a hug and kissing her forehead. He pulled away, and chuckled when he saw her red cheeks. "I'll see you bright and early to catch that train." He said, and she nodded.

"Night Fred." She said softly.

"Night Hermione."


	14. Chapter 14

Hermione was biting her lip nervously as they made their way onto the Hogwarts express the next day. She hadn't said much, and she knew that Fred was watching her, trying to figure out what she was thinking. After a couple hours of silence in the train compartment, Fred gingerly took the book out of her hands and set it beside him. He leaned across the floor of the train, and took one of her hands into his.

"Hermione, talk to me." He said, giving her one of his signature lopsided smiles. "What's going through that brain of yours?" He asked, tapping her temple with one finger. She smiled at him and let out a small sigh.

"I'm just nervous Fred." She said, and he shook his head.

"You have no reason to be, you have met mum before. And she loves you." He said to her.

"Not as.. as your girlfriend." She whispered, making Fred laugh.

"I've told you, it's going to be fine. Just relax Hermione." He said, and she nodded.

"Fine." She said, giving him a warm smile. She then noticed, that George wasn't in the compartment with them. "Hey, where is George?" She asked as Fred moved to sit next to her, handing her book back to her.

"Oh he went to go grab a few juices for us." He said, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. She looked up at him and he grinned. "So did you get me a Christmas present?" He asked, a twinkle in his eye.

"Of course I did." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Is it a good present?" He asked, tapping her nose with a finger, she wrinkled her nose at him and shook her head.

"I am not giving anything away Fred." She said.

"Pleease? Please Hermione? Please tell me?" He begged her, making her laugh.

George chose that moment to walk back into the apartment, greeted with the couple sitting close together, laughing.

"I have juice." He said, grinning. "If you lot aren't… otherwise occupied." He said suggestively, and Hermione's cheeked became red with blush. He sat across from them and handed them each a juice.

"Cheers George." Fred said, raising the bottle at his brother.

The rest of the train ride went by otherwise uneventfully, the boys chatting comfortably about different experiments and pranks they were planning on. When they finally pulled into King's Cross station, Hermione was sleeping lightly on Fred's shoulder.

"Hermione." He said gently, nudging her with his elbow slightly. "Hermione, wake up love, we're here." He said, and he watched her as she woke up. "Hey sleepy. Time to get up." He said when she finally opened her eyes. She stood up and yawned before flashing him an embarrassed grin.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep." She said, and Fred shrugged.

"Didn't bother me." He said, dragging their trunks down from the overhead, Hermione went to take hers from his grip, but he tugged it away from her. "I'll get it." He said, and she laughed.

"You are going to drag two trunks through and out of the train?" She asked, and Fred thought for a moment before laughing with her.

"No. Take your trunk." He said, and she gladly took it. They walked off the train together, Hermione exiting first, followed by Fred, then by George. The twins took there usual spots on either side of her, and made there way to where they saw the Weasley clan standing in a group.

"Fred! George! Hermione! Oh it's so good to see you all." Molly Weasley said, taking the few steps to grasp them all in hugs.

"Hi Mum." The boys said in unison.

"Hi Mrs. Weasley." Hermione said as the woman held her in a tight hug. At that moment, Harry, Ron and Ginny joined the group, and Molly went to greet them, leaving the other three with Arthur and Charlie, who was visiting for the holidays.

They all said hello, and Charlie walked over to Fred and gave him a hug.

"I thought you were bringing your girlfriend home." Charlie said, Hermione only barely heard him.

"I did." Fred said, and Charlie looked over at Hermione, then back to Fred before throwing back his head and laughing.

"Oh, mum is going to love this." He said loudly.

"Love what dear?" Molly asked, joining the group in time to hear her son's exclamation. Charlie opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Fred cut him off.

"Oh, I'll tell you when we get home mum." He said, waving his hand as Charlie chuckled and shook his head

"Well alright, let's get going then, car's in the lot." Molly said, leading the group out of the station.

Hermione and Fred walked a little slower than the group, she wanted to ask him about what just happened.

"Why didn't you tell your mum?" She asked, and Fred kissed her cheek.

"Just in case she lost it and wanted to send you back. Not that I think that's going to happen. But she can't when we are back at the Burrow. Don't worry love. I know it's going to be fine." He said, and she nodded in understanding.

"I know." She said, and they reached the car outside. Everyone piled in, and Hermione ended up between Fred and George. They each wrapped an arm around her shoulders, making her laugh. She looked around the car, and saw that Ron was glaring at them. She nudged Fred and gestured to his brother, and Fred in turn glared at Ron.

"Can I help you brother?" He asked, and Ron rolled his eyes before turning away from them.

The ride to the burrow was full of chatter, Fred and George spoke nonstop to Charlie, telling him all about the beginning of their year. They were still talking as everyone walked into the house.

"Okay, I made sure lunch was ready for everyone before we left, so everyone to the kitchen." Molly said, and everyone followed her directions, squeezing into the room and around the dining table. Hermione found herself between Fred and Charlie this time, and it felt odd to not have the other twin on her side. Soon enough, the conversation landed onto the ball the night before, and Molly was rampantly paying attention.

"Fred, I know who everyone took, but you. Who did you take? And didn't you mention you might bring your girlfriend for Christmas?" Molly asked, gazing at her son.

"Yeah, I did say that mum. And I did. I took her to the ball too." He said before taking a bite of his sandwich.

"You brought her here? But the only girl who isn't your sister is…" And her eyes locked with Hermione's as her sentence trailed off, and Hermione could feel her face grow hot under her gaze.

A/N: I hope that this chapter was good enough for all of my loyal followers. It's been rough, I haven't gotten any writing done, I have missed writing this so much. I'll try to be better about writing. Please Read and Review! So much love - Bookworm


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I really do hope that you enjoy this chapter. It didn't take too long to write, so I hope it isn't too short. Please read and review, and check out my other stories! Much Love- Bookworm

Hermione couldn't bring herself away from the gaze of Molly Weasley. She could hear her heart beating in her chest, and suddenly she tucked her hands under the table, as they had began to shake.

"Hermione? Hermione's your girlfriend?" Molly asked slowly, turning her gaze to Fred, and Hermione took a deep breath as the man next to her nodded gleefully.

"Yup. Took her to the ball too." He said, as he continued to eat his lunch. Hermione held her breath, expecting Molly to explode. Instead she nodded and smiled at the pair of them.

"Well, then you know the rule. She's not allowed to be up in your room." Molly said, and Fred opened his mouth to protest, but Hermione elbowed him. He looked at her and she shook her head, not wanting to argue with the woman who had just accepted that they were together. He closed his mouth and smiled at her before turning back to his meal.

"When did you lot get together?" Charlie asked, and Hermione expected Fred to answer, but when he didn't she looked up and saw that Charlie was looking at her.

"Oh erm, just since the ball actually." She said, and Charlie looked back and forth between them for a moment.

"Fred… Didn't you send me a letter a couple weeks ago saying you were going to bring a girl home?" Charlie asked, and Fred nodded.

"I knew that she couldn't resist my charms much longer." He said, giving her a wink and making her blush.

"Oh so confident." Charlie muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Why yes I am brother. As soon as I asked her to the ball, and she said yes, I knew that she was going to be my girlfriend. Eventually." He said, and Hermione heard Ginny sigh wistfully. She grinned at the girl, and they happily finished their meal to the steady sound of chatter around the room.

"So how did you ask her?" Ginny said, sitting on the ground by the fireplace that evening.

"Well dear sister. It all started at Snape's mass test before winter break." George started.

"These two were discussing the ball, and George here decided to give them a bit of a shove." Fred continued, pointing at Harry and Ron.

"And while I was asking Angelina to go with me."

"I passed a note to Hermione, asking if she would go with me."

"Obviously, she said yes."

"Which is good too, since Ron decided just then to realize that she's a girl."

"Well, she said no to him."

"Obviously."

"And the rest, as they say."

"Is history." Fred finished, and Ginny shook her head at her brothers as Hermione laughed at their twin speak.

"Quite a surprise really, Fred here didn't even tell me that he was going to ask her. Real shock when he told me after we left that blasted test." George said, pretending to sound hurt that Fred had left him out of the loop on that particular plan.

"You hadn't told him?" Hermione asked, knowing full well that these two shared everything with each other. Fred shook his head and gave her a lopsided smile.

"I really hadn't known I was going to ask you since breakfast that morning. You had your tie all lopsided and wrong, and one of your shoes were untied. I just knew at that moment that you were the girl." He said, making her and his little sister laugh.

"That's what made you ask her?" Ginny said, holding her stomach as she laughed.

"Well of course. It was the first moment that she didn't look absolutely put together, she looked perfect." He said, giving his girlfriend a smile as she blushed.

"Okay, well when did you ask her to be your girlfriend?" Ginny asked eagerly, wanting to know every detail.

"Oh. I can answer this one." George said eagerly, and Fred leaned back in the sofa, his arms crossed, and looking expectantly at his twin. George stood and cleared his throat before he began.

"This is quite a tale my sister dear. You see, these two have been dancing around each other for a year and a half now. Stolen glances cast, arguments. And my dear twin and I being absolute dunder heads. You see, the whole business with Harry's broom last year, we ended up being quite mean to Hermione last year. Finally, we got our heads out of our- err you know." He said, catching a glare from his mother before continuing. "Well after quite a bit of flirting, and trying to tear out of them what they were thinking, I finally got Fred to admit that he fancied her. Then the news came that there was going to be a ball. And of course, Fred asked Hermione. They were going to go as friends, and that I suppose would have been fine. I helped them coordinate their outfits, definitely not my forte there. But neither one of them was making a move. Fred and I agreed to have the girls meet up in front of the Great Hall. Of course, he was stunned when he saw her. All he managed to say was her name. When she saw him, she was obviously stunned as well, given his dashing looks. And next thing anyone knew, she had thrown herself at him and was snogging him. And…" And he paused, unsure of the rest of the story, he turned to Fred, looking for help. Fred shrugged and looked at Hermione next to him.

"And that's it." He said, grinning at Hermione's flushed face.

"Are you telling me that you never actually asked her to be your girlfriend?" Ginny asked shrilly, and Fred shook his head.

"Do I need to?" He asked, and though Hermione was shaking her head, Ginny nodded hers roughly.

"Of course you do!" She said.

"Well alright then. Hermione." He said, turning to her and taking her hands seriously, making her laugh. "I know that we have kissed, held hands, and even went to a ball together. But obviously that means nothing. Would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?" He asked her. She was shaking from laughter, this was absolutely over the top and ridiculous, just like the man next to her.

"Oh I don't know Fred… do you really think after all of that, we might be able to make it work?" She asked holding her laughter back so she could ask him that. He laughed with her for a moment before speaking again.

"Okay, really though. Will you appease my sister and answer. I fear I may never know what we are if you refuse to answer." He said, still smiling.

"Oh I suppose so. Fine. I'll do it." She said, and he turned back to his sister, who was glaring at him.

"Satisfied?" He asked, and she let out a huff of air before nodding. "Good. That was bloody embarrassing, having to do that in front of you lot." He said, slinging an arm onto the back of the couch behind Hermione, who secretly agreed with him.

The rest of the winter holidays went by quite quickly, and before they knew it, they were well on their way back to Hogwarts. Lee, Hermione, and the twins were sharing a compartment on their way back to school, Hermione reading a book while the boys around her discussed what pranks and experiments they would be doing the rest of term. Hermione only half listened to them, figuring that she would be less inclined to stop them if she didn't know what they were going to be up to. That was, until she heard Fred say her name.

"Sorry, what?" Hermione said, closing her book and looking at the man next to her.

"I said, what do you think? Something that you could use to listen in on a conversation? Like, you hold one end maybe and the other end is small, it could stay hidden, but it would transfer the sound to you so that you could hear what was happening?" He said, and she sat back, thinking.

"Well… I suppose that.. if you used something like a backwards sonorous charm, it could work. And an extension charm could make what went between you and the conversation stretch, so that you could have it close or far away." She said thoughtfully.

"That's brilliant that is." Fred said, opening up a tattered notebook and writing something down. "You're absolutely brilliant." He said, giving his girlfriend a smile.

"Well thank you." She said, and the boys started to discuss names and semantics for the listening device. Once they had the blueprints drawn out, the focused on the name.

"Well…" Hermione cut in, and all the boys in the cabin turned to look at her. "Since you put an ear on the hearing end, why not…" She thought for a moment before coming up with an idea. "Extendable ears?" She suggested, and the boys around her nodded in agreement.

"It'll take a while to actually put one together." George said, and the other two boys nodded in agreement. "Hermione, would you be willing to help us with some of our other ideas?" George asked, turning to his twin's girlfriend, who bit her lip.

"As long as they don't hurt anyone, then I suppose I could help some." She said to the glee of the boys surrounding her. The conversation then turned to what the boys wanted to do once they left school next year.

"No, no, no. I don't want to keep selling stuff from our bedroom." George said when Fred suggested it.

"Well what would you prefer?" He asked.

"I want to open up a shop." George said, and Hermione could sense an argument on the way.

"Boys, you still have a year and a half to figure it out. If you don't want to keep selling from your bedroom, which I know for a fact when your mum finds out she wont like it one bit, then why don't you save up the profits from what you are selling now, and maybe work a little over the summer to get some more money, then think about getting a shop?" Hermione suggested, and the boys looked at her eyes wide.

"Good thinking Hermione. It's like you can read our minds and make it one." Fred said, kissing her on the cheek.

When they did arrive back to Hogwarts, it was already late and they went straight back to the common room. Hermione claiming to be tired, kissed Fred goodnight and went up to the girl's dormitory.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Hey guys, im sorry its been so log, I hate going so long between chapters, and ive been meaning to write this for weeks, so please remain patient with me. My Charmione story is now complete, for anyone who might be interested in reading it. anyway, enjoy the new chapter! Much love- Bookworm

xxx So, a slight time jump. I didn't want to finish up Hermione's fourth year, I felt like it would be pointless, so welcome to summer and the train to fifth year!xxxx

"He did what?" Hermione asked the twins, her mouth open in surprise.

"Well, when we went to go see him at the hospital wing, he said he had tried to give it to Diggory's dad, but he wouldn't take it." George said.

"We didn't want to at first either, but he insisted." Fred added, nervously looking at his girlfriend.

"Well… what are you going to do with it?" Hermione asked them tentatively.

"Well, we talked about this a lot actually." George said, smiling widely.

"We are going to put some into mum and dad's vault, then we are going to get our own." Fred said, still looking nervously at Hermione.

"Since we are seventeen now." George added, and Fred nodded in agreement. "And once we are done with school…" George trailed off and looked at his twin to finish.

"Once your done with school what?" Hermione asked them apprehensively.

"Well… We've been talking a lot about what you said, about what to do after school. And we are going to start looking for a place to start our shop." Fred explained. Hermione looked at them both for a moment, thinking.

"I think it's brilliant." She said after a moment, and both of the boys – well they were men now really- perked up at her words.

"Really?" Fred asked, the excitement apparent in his voice.

"Yes really." She said, smiling at Fred. "You both make people so happy with what you make, and honestly, I think we will be needing that soon." She said, and at that last comment, the mood in the room became solemn.

"He's really back, isn't he?" George said softly, and Hermione gave him a sad smile.

"You know he is." She said, after all, they had all been swept away very quickly to what the had realized was a safehouse. Though she didn't like the fact that Harry wasn't here yet, as he was in more danger than the rest of them. She had helped Harry quite a bit with the last two tasks of the tournament, helping him practice spells, and for the second task, she really did try to help him.

Things after the second task were tense, as she had been taken as Victor's prize. Fred was quite angry about it, until she explained that she and him were friends at best, that there wasn't anyone else they had a choice of taking, since it was voluntary and everyone from Durmstrang had declined, on the grounds they wanted to see their champion win the task, not be a part of it. After the third task however, everyone was in shock. Exams were cancelled, and a few students were even pulled from school before the end of term.

Hermione had been careful to not tell her parents any of this, knowing that they would want to pull her from school permanently. She made sure to make this very clear to the Weasleys for when they came to collect her for the summer, so they didn't let anything slip on accident. As it was, her father was less than thrilled that she had a boyfriend that was two years ahead of her in school, though she gently reminded him that he was only a year and a half older than her, and after much reassurance that she would be kept in a separate room, only then did he allow her to spend the remainder of the summer with the Weasleys.

Dinner that night passed by extremely quickly, as there was an Order meeting after they had finished. Once again that night, the twins argued loudly with their mother about joining the Order.

"Mum, we are seventeen, we can help, even if we will be at school. We could keep an eye on that slimy git, make sure he really is on our side. We could recruit even." George said, Fred nodding along with him.

"If I have said it once, I have said it a hundred times, no." Molly said, and everyone around the table began to speed up their dinner, as she sounded extremely angry. "You are both in school, Dumbledore is there at Hogwarts, we don't need you lot getting yourselves into trouble trying to play heroes." She snapped at them, glaring. Fred opened his mouth, but caught sight of Hermione, who looked upset across from him. HE shut his mouth and studied his plate, most of the food was gone.

"Mum, may I be excused, I'm done." He said softly, and Molly's gaze softened at her son when she realized he was upset.

"Yes of course dear, why don't you go shower while you have the chance?" She asked, and he nodded before standing.

He took his mothers advice, and took a nice hot shower, which helped to clear his mind a bit. When he was done, he entered his room, expecting to see his twin, but only finding Hermione, who was sitting cross legged on his bed.

"Oh, hi." He said, looking at her apprehensively. "Hermione…" He said slowly, and she looked up at him, his heart thumped hard against his chest at the look in her eyes, she looked so.. sad. "Hermione… What's wrong?" He asked softly, sitting down next to her. She was silent for a moment before grabbing his hand gently.

"It's just… You and George, you have been arguing with your mum for weeks to join the Order. You want to, so badly. People had been hurt in the Order, people had died. Why are you both so anxious to join when it could get you killed?" She asked him, and he was stunned that she looked so calm.

"Hermione… So many more people are going to die if he isn't taken down. The world will fall apart. The Order is doing everything it can to prevent that, that's why I want to join. So maybe, we could have a better, a less dangerous life." Hermione stared at him, she somehow knew that when he had said "we" he had meant him and her, not him and George like it usually meant.

"But, if it makes you worry less, I will talk to George, and we will leave it alone until after we leave school." He said, and she nodded gratefully.

"Thank you Fred." She said, and he pulled her into a tight hug.

"Anything for you love." He muttered into her hair, and he really meant it. He would do absolutely anything for the girl that was in his arms.

Just a few days later, Harry was there, and shortly after, they were once again on their way to Hogwarts, though it had been a close call for Harry, after the whole business with the ministry. Hermione had been made a prefect, and she had just finished up her rounds on the train before finding Fred, George and Lee in their usual compartment.

"Oh yeah, we found the perfect place. Just needs a bit of work, and if we buy it, we wont need to worry about rent." George said to Lee, right as Hermione walked into the small compartment.

"What?" She asked, not sure what they were talking about.

"Oh… erm hi Mione." Lee said, Hermione looked at him with one eyebrow raised.

"Mione?" she asked. "That's my nickname, is it?" She inquired, sitting down next to Fred, who put an arm around her.

"Is that okay?" Lee asked, and she smiled.

"Sure." She said. "If you lot tell me what your talking about." She said, looking at the boys sitting around the compartment. Fred groaned.

"You caught that, did you? It was supposed to be a surprise, after everything was settled." He said, and she stared at him, waiting for a real answer. "Fine, alright. Well, when we all went to Diagon alley, George and I found a place for the shop. And it has a flat above it, so we could stay there too."

"Really? You found a place?" She asked, excited. He nodded and she pulled him into a gripping hug. "I'm so happy for you!" She said, kissing him. He responded enthusiastically, keeping her tight to him so that he could continue to kiss him until his twin smacked him on the back of his head.

"Oi, why don't you lot keep that for the broom cupboards?" He said as they broke apart, Hermione blushing deeply.

"Sorry." She said sheepishly. She sat with them as they spoke about the plans for the shop, until she had to go do her final rounds to let everyone know to get ready. She stood and pulled on her robes, the boys in the compartment taking her cue and doing the same. She pulled her boyfriend out of the compartment once they had pulled on their robes, and he walked with her as she did her rounds.

"I'm proud of you, you know that?" She said, as the train began to slow. He grinned at her and pulled her into an empty compartment. He pulled her to him and kissed her gently. He rest his forehead against hers, his eyes closed for a moment. When he opened them, she was smiling softly at him. The train was barely moving now, and she gently pulled away from him.

"I have to finish my rounds, you should meet up with the boys and head off, I'll see you for the feast." She said, going to the compartment door and sliding it open. "Save me a seat?" She said, shooting him a smile over her shoulder, and he grinned back. She exited the compartment and he followed. He went to head back to his twin, but quickly turned around.

"Hermione!" He called out, and she turned, finding him over the heads of the first years swarming around them. "I love you." He said, and he was relieved when a grin spread across her cheeks.

"About time!" She called out, making him laugh. "I love you too Fred, now go find your brother!" She said, turning once more and leaving him to happily find his way down the train.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: So, I apologize for taking so long to get this chapter out, but here you go. Enjoy, and please leave a review! Or PM me, let me know what you think. Also, I emphasized Hermione being a Prefect in this chapter, because I feel like that is a huge leap in her character, and nobody ever includes it! Anyway, enjoy Prefect!Hermione. Much Love- Bookworm**

The opening feast was just the same as any other year, just with the addition of Voldemort being back and Hermione now being a Prefect. She spent the feast sitting next to Fred and George, talking to them quietly about their new place. They purposely avoided talking about what they knew everyone else was talking about. They had been hearing the whispers since they were on the train.

Everyone was whispering about Harry and Dumbledore, they would occasionally catch some of the other students staring at Harry. Hermione glared at some of them until they stopped, as she was sitting across from Harry during the feast. Fred would take her hand gently every time he noticed her doing this, and Harry would give her a thankful glance.

The first years seemed sparse this year, Hermione noted as she called for them to follow her to the common room. She told them little fun facts about the castle as they walked, her information mostly coming from Hogwarts: A History. She smiled when she looked back and saw that many of the first years were looking around in amazement. Once they got to the portrait of the Fat Lady, Hermione turned and smiled at the group of students standing in front of her. The rest of the Gryffindors had already come up with Ron, who had also been made Prefect.

"Okay everyone. This here is the Common room." She said, and some of the first years looked confused.

"No it's not. It's just a portrait." One boy said, pointing at the portrait behind her.

"Oh just a portrait?" Said the Fat Lady, and Hermione turned to see her smiling at all of the first years before her.

"Oh hello Pink Lady." Hermione said politely. "Have a good holiday?" She asked, and the woman in the portrait smiled pleasantly at her.

"Oh yes. It's always nice to have a little break in the year from opening up." She said, and Hermione nodded in understanding.

"Well everyone, this here is the Pink Lady. She guards Gryffindor Tower, only allowing entrance if you have the correct password. Which, right now, is Gillyweed." And at the last word, the portrait opened up, revealing an open room decorated in crimson and gold, with a raging fire in the fireplace. The first years tentatively made their way into the room, Hermione following after the last one and closing the portrait hole behind her. The first years formed a tight group in the middle of the large room, looking around, some looked scared, others were looking around with amazed looks on their faces. Hermione smiled at them and gestured around.

"This is the common room, most people come here to both study and just hang out with friends. Girls dormitories are straight up the stairs on your right, boys the same on your left. All your belongings are there already, I suggest you go unpack and maybe get some rest. Classes start first thing tomorrow morning, breakfast is at seven." She said. She gave them all another smile and they filed past her, still looking around the common room. She let out a sigh of relief and walked over to where the twins were sitting by a window.

"Hello love, good job there with the ickle firsties." Fred said, giving her a wide grin.

"Oh shut it." She said, smiling at him and sitting down between the twins and across the small table from Lee. She pulled out a pocket version of Hogwarts: A History that Fred had given her over the summer and opened it while the boys around her talked in hushed tones about the coming year.

"I don't know mate, maybe it's not the best year for it, you saw that woman. She looks like she would happily string us up by our toes in the dungeon." Lee said, and George frowned. Hermione glanced up at her boyfriend, who had an emotionless expression on his face as he listened to the conversation.

"Mate, it's our last year. Our last chance to make an impression." George said, and Hermione felt her heart drop. She had avoided thinking about it the entire summer, but it was true. It was her last year going to school with her best friends, next year she would be alone. Sure, there was Harry and Ron, but she hadn't been close with them in years. She looked back down at her book quickly, that was still a year away. She should just enjoy the time she has with them. When she couldn't read anymore, she closed her book and looked around. Most everyone had cleared the common room, and Lee looked as though he was about to pass out. Hermione tucked her book back into her pocket and kissed Fred gently. He grinned at her and gave her a hug before she turned and hugged George as well, a move that made all three of the boys look at her. She stared at them for a moment before giving Lee a quick hug and heading up to her dorm. She reached the stairs before turning around, and seeing that they were all staring at her, smiled at them.

"I love you." She said. She chuckled when all three said it back, though she winked at Fred before turning once more and making her way to where she knew her bed was waiting.

* * *

The three boys, still sitting around the table, looked at each other with confused looks on their faces. George opened his mouth, sucked in a breath, shook his head, and closed it again.

"When was the last time she hugged either one of you before bed?" Fred asked, and Lee shook his head.

"Must've been the end of fifth I think." He said. George nodded in agreement.

"Okay, in the year and a half since then, what happened to make her do it tonight?" George asked, and they all shrugged. George turned to Fred, one eyebrow raised. For once, Fred was unable to answer a question about his girlfriend.

"Maybe, and hear me out on this one." Lee said, and the twins turned to look at him. "Maybe we all just go up to bed and ask her at breakfast tomorrow?" He suggested, and they sat there for a moment before the twins nodded, at a loss on what else to do. They silently made their way to their own dorm room, Fred thinking hard on what was going on with Hermione that he couldn't think of.

The next morning, Fred waited for Hermione to come down from her dormitory before he headed down to breakfast himself. He grinned as he watched her descend the last couple steps, tying her hair up into a ponytail as she did so. She smiled back at him and took the hand he offered her, adjusting her bookbag slightly on her shoulder.

"Want me to carry that?" He asked, and she laughed lightly.

"Where is _your_ bookbag?" She asked him, and he grinned at her.

"George has it, I asked him to go down so we could walk together." He said to her, and she raised her eyebrows slightly.

" Well that was nice of him." She said as they exited the portrait hole and began to make their way down the castle to the Great Hall.

"Well, he owed me." He said, and she opened her mouth to ask why, but he stopped her by pushing her behind a tapestry to a little nook in the wall.

"Fred.. What?" She began to ask, but he interrupted her by pressing his lips to hers. Stunned, she dropped her bag just as he wrapped her in his arms, pushing her gently against the wall behind her. She rested her hands gently against his slim waist under his robes, and responded to his kiss enthusiastically until they heard someone trip slightly and fall against the wall just next to them. Hermione jumped and blushed deeply as Fred peeked out behind the tapestry. He pulled back and picked up Hermione's bookbag off of the ground, giving her another peck on the lips before guiding her out from the nook and back on track to the Great Hall. She was still blushing, though not as furiously, when they sat down at the table. George looked back and forth between them before shaking his head in mock disappointment.

"You know Hermione, you are a prefect now, you should really be setting a better example." George said, and Hermione sputtered for a moment before Professor McGonagall cleared her throat at the end of the table.

"I will be coming around the table, handing each of you your class list, and classes will begin in twenty minutes." She said, and handed two pieces of parchment down to the students sitting in front of her. Luckily, the group consisting of Hermione and her best friends were quite close to the end of the table so it only took the professor a few minutes to reach them. Hermione stuck her hand out eagerly and studied her schedule closely as soon as she received it. Fred looked over her shoulder at hers, then back at his own.

"Hermione, I can walk you to every one of your classes!" He said brightly, and Hermione looked at his schedule.

"That's because you are only taking… three classes a day." She said, and he nodded.

"All I need." He said, smiling at her, and she smiled back at him sweetly.

"Hey Hermione, can I ask you something?" Lee said a few moments later, and she nodded.

"Last night, you hugged us all goodnight. Are you doing alright?" He asked her, and her smile faltered.

"I can't hug my friends goodnight?" She asked, turning her gaze to George.

"It's not that love, it's just… well you haven't done that since the end of your third year. And we were worried something was wrong." He said, and her smile fell completely. She looked down at her plate for a moment before speaking.

"This is your last year." She said softly. "And I still have two more after you leave." She added, looking back up at them. George and Fred groaned slightly, and Lee looked down at his plate.

"Oh love, you know we don't want to leave you alone here with this git filled school." Fred said, and she smiled at him.

"I know that, it's just, I realized it last night when you lot were talking and it got me thinking." She said with a shrug. She was saved talking by McGonagall once more.

"Okay everyone, classes start in ten minutes, I suggest you finish up your breakfast and head out." She called to her house, and Hermione shoved her schedule into her pocket before standing. Fred quickly shoved his last bit of his toast into his mouth and stood as well, reaching for his bag that George held up for him.

"See you in class mate." George said, and Fred nodded vigorously, his mouth still full of food. Hermione waited until he had slung his bag onto his shoulder before taking his hand and walking leisurely up to the Defense classroom. Once there, Fred leaned against the wall at the back of the line of students waiting for entry and pulled Hermione to where she was standing in front of him. He kissed her cheek and she smiled at him, he played with her bag for a moment before sighing.

"I have to go to class." He said, and she nodded.

"Yes, you do." She said back to him, and he grinned at her before pulling her in for a hug.

" _Hem Hem_." Came a small cough- like sound from behind Hermione. She jumped away from Fred and stepped away from him when she saw that it was her teacher. Fred stayed leaning against the wall, and smiled at the new teacher.

"Morning Professor." He said, and Hermione grimaced in embarrassment at the blatant lack of respect that he held for most professors.

"Don't you have class Mr?..." She trailed off.

"Weasley, Miss. And yes. I was just saying goodbye." He said, and with a wink at Hermione, he pushed off the wall and walked away. Professor Umbridge, who Hermione was already disliking, turned to glare at her, before spinning on her heel and walking to the classroom door.

"Enter please children, and sit in your assigned seat please." She said, in what Hermione could tell was an utterly false and sickly sweet voice. Hermione scowled when she realized that she had been placed next to Millicent Bulstrode, she sat down heavily and placed her things that she would need for class on the desk, as far away from her desk mate as she possibly could. Luckily for her, Millicent seemed to be just as angry at this arrangement, and turned herself away from Hermione, to where there would be no need to speak to one another.

Once everyone was settled into their seats, Umbridge made her way slowly down the aisle down the middle of the class, staring at her students as she passed them until she reached the front and faced them. She cleared her throat and flicked her stubby wand, books that had been stacked against the walls sailed out and placed themselves, two on each desk right in front of each student. Hermione touched the cover, Defense for Beginners, then looked up at the professor standing in front of them in confusion. Though this wasn't a required text, Hermione had read this before her first year had started, and had found that it was likely meant for a child coming from a magical family, maybe a nine year old.

"Before we begin, please put away your wands, you will not be needing them in this class from now on." At this, Hermione's mouth fell open in surprise.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: So I know that this is not my best or longest chapter, but I hope its good enough that it stands up to your expectations. Anyway, enjoy the chapter, Much Love- Bookworm**

She had managed to go the entire day without showing her frustration for their new professor, but by the time dinner rolled around, she couldn't hold it in any longer. All day she had heard confusion and questions about why she was being allowed to teach them.

She had made it especially clear that they would not be actually using magic in the class. She had stated that the ministry believed a practical knowledge of defense would suffice to get them through there O.W.L.s. Hermione believed that this was complete rubbish, as she knew that their test administrates would be testing them on the physical casting of spells along with the literature of it.

She sat down heavily at the dinner table, and her friends all looked at her, surprised. She looked around for a moment before leaning in.

"Whatever you want. I'm in. As long as it annoys her." She said, breathing deeply with her rage. Fred, George and Lee all looked at her, shocked.

"Come again?" George asked, his fork halfway to his mouth.

"Any prank and plan you have to annoy that witch, I want in. I want to help." She said, her voice starting to rise as she spoke.

"Shhh" Fred hissed, and she glared at him. "Not here, someone's going to hear you." He whispered into her ear, and she calmed down enough to nod and turn her attention to her plate.

They were clustered at a small table in a corner of the common room, to where they could see everyone and make sure they weren't overheard.

"Hermione, what do you mean that you want in?" George asked softly.

"George, she doesn't want us doing magic. She doesn't let us talk. She is an awful woman." She said, and the boys sitting around her looked at her apprehensively.

"Hermione, you've only had one lesson with her." Lee said carefully.

"Have you lot not heard everyone? They all hate her. She isn't a teacher. She's… she's a spy." Hermione said, Fred and George looked at each other, confusion spread across both of their faces.

"You mean for.. well for You-Know-Who?" Fred asked in an almost inaudible whisper, and Hermione let out a sigh.

"No. Not for Voldemort." She said, ignoring the flinches that she received from around the table. She had grown used to hearing and saying it while spending time with Harry. "The ministry." She said, and once again the boys all looked at each other.

"Hermione love, what to you mean?" Fred asked, concern spread all over his face.

"Isn't it obvious? I thought her speech at the welcome feast made it extremely clear." Hermione said, looking between all the boys. They all looked at her, confused. "The Ministry is interfering at Hogwarts." She said simply, and realization dawned on their faces slowly.

"You're saying that she is spying on Dumbledore and us students?" Lee asked, and she nodded. He leaned back in his chair and let out a low whistle.

"Well… are you sure you want in?" Fred asked, laying a hand on hers and squeezing gently. He studied her face for a moment until she nodded. "Alright. Let's get down to it then." He said.

They were still sitting at the same table hours later, papers stacked on the table, and they were discussing a certain sketch when a first year walked over to them.

"Miss Hermione?" She mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh hello Sarah, is everything okay?" She asked, and the young girl nodded.

"I just came down for some water, and I saw you were awake. Are you studying for you're O.W.L.s?" The young girl asked, and Hermione glanced back at their little group before answering her.

"Yeah, they are helping me study." She said, giving Sarah a smile.

"But its three… wouldn't you study better if you aren't tired?" She asked, and Hermione looked at her watch with wide eyes.

"Oh goodness, you are absolutely right. How about I go tell them that and I can walk up with you?" Hermione suggested, and the girl nodded enthusiastically. Hermione smiled and walked back over to the table.

"We need to go to bed." She said, gathering up the papers on the table and shoving them into her bag, which she threw up onto her shoulder. She leaned over and kissed Fred softly before heading toward the girl's dormitory with Sarah next to her.

"Hey Granger." She heard behind her, and she turned back to look at the group of boys at the table.

"Love you." They all said at the same time. She grinned and Fred winked at her.

"I love you too." She said, grinning. She turned back to the stairs and began walking with Sarah once more.

"Was one of them your boyfriend?" Sarah asked when they were close.

"Yes, Fred Weasley." She said, smiling at the younger girl.

"One of the twins? How do you tell the difference between them?" Sarah asked as they reached the first year dorm.

"You know, a lot of people have asked me that over the years." Hermione said with a smile. "I have just always been able to tell them apart." She said with a shrug. Sarah smiled at her and bid her goodnight, and Hermione continued on her way up to bed.

The first prank on the long list of pranks went off without a hitch. Hermione had the job of distracting Umbridge by asking about her latest quiz, which she had no problem doing as she had gotten a couple questions wrong according to their professor. The twins were in charge of setting up a ward on the door that wouldn't allow anyone in without the proper password. It was much like the charms cast on the entrances to common rooms, but unlike those, this one would wear off after only a couple hours. Umbridge had thrown a fit when she had been unable to get into her own classroom, and had dragged Dumbledore out of his office and to the classroom.

He had studied it for a moment before he simply stated it would wear off, and that it was rather impressive. As he walked away, he eyed Hermione, and she could have sworn she saw him wink.

It was after the fourth prank that they had been caught. Luckily, George had gotten away in time, and it was only Hermione and Fred. Lee had been busy, and Hermione was sure that was the reason that they had slipped this time.

"Miss Granger, I'm not sure why I'm surprised. According to my information, you have been seeing Mr. Weasley here for little less than a year. And in that year, your grades have become… well, let's say you have not been performing as you have in former years." She said, flipping through a few papers.

Hermione looked at her with an eyebrow raised. She knew that her grade in only this class had been lowered, and that her other classes she was doing the same quality of work. Fred looked at her in surprise, and she shook her head just the tiniest amount.

"Now Mister Weasley, I'm not surprised at all with your sub par behavior. You have quite the track record here at this school. You and your twin brother have been causing mayhem at this school since you started." She said, and Fred just stared at her.

"Now, I'm sorry to say I must punish you both. Detention. Tomorrow night after you are both done with classes. Please come to my office. You won't need anything." She said, stacking the papers together and putting them into a drawer of her desk. "I'll see you both tomorrow evening." She said, dismissing them. They stood in unison and wasted no time in exiting the room.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: So this took two days for me to write. And I had to write it three times, each time it was different. It was so frustrating, my computer hates me and deleted everything I had 2.5 times. and now its done, so I really hope that the wait was worth it. Much Love- Bookworm

Detention that night was the worst thing that Hermione could have expected to happen in a detention. She and Fred had walked down to Umbridge's office together, and when they knocked they heard a small voice call for them to enter. Hermione had given Fred a smile as she opened the door and they entered her office. There were two desks on opposite sides of the room, and Hermione sat down heavily in the closest one to her. Sitting on each desk there was a single piece of parchment and one quill. Hermione stared at the parchment, puzzled.

"Professor, I'm sorry, but we don't have any ink." Hermione said. Umbridge smiled her sickly smile at her and made a little _hem hem_ cough.

"Miss Granger, you will not be needing any ink, these are some special quills of mine. Now Miss Granger, you will be writing... 'I must not act like an idiot'. Mister Weasley, if you could please write 'I will not cause mischief'." She said, nodding once to each of them in turn. Hermione slowly picked up her quill and put it to the paper. She glanced over to Fred, who was staring at her with his mouth open. She shrugged and started to write on the parchment, the sooner this night was done with, the better.

The first few lines, Hermione didn't think anything of the fact that the back of her hand had stung a couple times and was a little itchy. By the tenth line, a pain shot through her hand to her wrist, making her look down. Her mouth fell open, on the back of her hand were cuts forming the words that she was now writing for her detention. She slowly lifted her head and looked at her professor, who was writing on a paper in front of her. She then turned her attention to Fred, who was glaring at their professor. She slowly began to write her lines again, hoping that this detention would pass by quickly. By the time she had filled the parchment, there was small trails of blood running down her hand. She had given up trying to keep her hand clean, the magic from the quill was just too much. Thankfully, Umbridge decided around that time to walk between their desks once more. She reached out to touch Fred's hand, and Hermione watched him yank his hand away and glare at Umbridge. She turned to Hermione and she immediately dropped her hand to her lap so that Umbridge would be unable to touch her.

"Well, I'd say it has sunk in enough. Hopefully this has taught each of you something. You may leave." She said, and immediately Hermione and Fred were both out of their seats and out the door. When they got far enough away, they began to walk slower than they had been, and Hermione grabbed his good hand with her bad one. He stopped walking and pulled her hand close to his face and sighed.

"Come on, let's go get you cleaned up." He said.

"Wait... Fred, are you okay?" Hermione asked, and he glanced at her and nodded.

"Yes love, I'm fine." He said, and they continued to make their way to the common room. They walked in silence, Hermione was too shocked by the events of their detention to say anything, and she was fairly certain that Fred was angry. Hermione had just thought of something, Harry had detention a while ago with Umbridge.

When they got into the dormitory, Hermione gave Fred a kiss and told him that she wanted to go ask Harry about something. He nodded and handed her a bottle labeled 'Dittany' With instructions to put it on the cuts. She did so quickly then made her way to where she had seen Harry and Ron sitting.

"Harry, let me see your hand." She said, sitting down next to him on the couch he was on. He placed a hand, palm down on his book that he had in his lap and she rolled her eyes. "The other one." She said, grabbing his arm and pulling his hand into her lap so she could see it. And right there, was an angry red scar forming the words 'I must not tell lies'. She sighed and placed her own hand on her lap, where he grabbed it and stared at the lines she had been forced to carve into her skin.

"You too." He stated simply, and she nodded.

"Harry, Why didn't you say anything? We could have told someone. We could have gone to Dumbledore." She said, and Harry sighed and turned back to his book after shaking his head. "Well why not?" She asked, and Harry glared at her.

"This is something I need to take care of myself Hermione." He said, and she stared at him.

"Harry it's not just you anymore. Tonight it was Fred and I, who else might she have done this to?" Hermione asked him. He sighed and shook his head.

"We're stuck with her Hermione. She's our professor." Harry said. Hermione looked across the room to her group of boys. Fred, George, and Lee were all sitting at a small table speaking. Hermione noticed that Fred and George looked very serious, and Lee looked worried. In the moment that she was watching them, she saw Lee glance at her and turn quickly back to Fred and George. Ron interrupted her staring when he spoke.

"I just wish that we had a proper teacher instead of that hag. Would've been nice to have someone like Lupin back." Ron stated wistfully, and Hermione brightened.

"A proper teacher. Like Harry." She stated.

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, and she smiled at him.

"Harry I have an idea."

* * *

The Next Day:

"Sorry, you want us to meet you where?" Fred asked.

"The Hog's Head. Yes." Hermione said.

"And you really won't tell us why?" George asked her carefully.

"I'll just say we all would like a proper teacher. And I think you would too." She said. Fred and George faced each other and had a silent private conversation without actually talking. George sighed after a moment and nodded, Hermione grinned and looked back and forth between them.

"Okay Love." Fred said, and she nodded happily. She leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips before turning and giving George a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you." She said softly before turning and walking to meet up with Harry and Ron.

"You know what this means, don't you?" George asked, turning to his twin.

"I know Georgie, and I'm sorry... We'll just have to postpone." Fred said, and George nodded.

"I just wanted to leave, we got the papers for the store all sorted, I'm just ready." He said, and Fred patted him on the shoulder.

"I know... I just..." Fred trailed off and George looked at him.

"You really love her, don't you Freddie?" George asked, and Fred smiled sadly at him.

"So much I can't just leave her to deal with all this on her own." He said, and George stared at him before letting out a breath.

"Well just don't mess it up. I don't want to have stayed for nothing." George said in a half-joking tone of voice. Fred smiled at him and nudged him in the ribs.

"Don't you go worrying about that now." He said as the bell rang for class.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Hello! I'm actually really proud of this chapter, and I hope I made all of you proud with it as well. Please be patient with me as I slowly write this story, I really think this one might be longer than any other story I've written, as it is were still fairly new to fifth year and this is chapter 20! Please review! Much Love- Bookworm

The Hog's Head was crowded, the bartender was staring at the crowd, his mouth hanging open as he polished a singular glass repeatedly. He was finally distracted from the glass when drink orders began to come in. A lot of orders. Hermione watched sympathetically as he rushed to grab as many bottles of butterbeer that he could. Once every student had a drink in hand, Hermione cleared her throat and stood, all eyes in the room falling on her.

"Erm… Hello. You all know me, erm… thank you for coming." She took a deep breath and sought out Fred's face, when they locked eyes he grinned and gave her a gentle nod. She smiled and took a deep, calming breath. "Right. You all are here because we all agreed that we need to learn defense against the dark arts. We need a teacher. A.. Well, a proper teacher." She said, feeling satisfied when she saw many students nod and murmur their agreement to her statement.

"Well we," she gestured to Harry and Ron, both of whom she noted looked mildly uncomfortable. She rolled her eyes and amended her wording. "Okay, _I_ had the idea that we could possibly learn from someone here." She said, and a couple of her classmates sat up straighter, apparently that caught their proper attention.

"You mean you're going to be teaching us?" Someone asked.

"You do have top marks in all your classes." Someone else stated, and Hermione shook her head.

"Actually, Defense is the only class I do not have top marks in. That would be Harry, at least it would be, if we had a competent Professor this term." She stated as an afterthought. "I think Harry should teach us." She said, stepping to the side and clearing her throat, Harry looked up at her and stood quickly. Everyone stared at the pair of them, clearly disagreeing with Hermione.

"But... He's mad. He thinks that You-Know-Who is back..." One student muttered, and Hermione glared at the boy who had spoken.

"Well I believe him, and if you rather would be taught by Umbridge and fail your exams, then by all means the door is right there." She said, pointing to the exit, and all eyes then turned to the boy, who shrunk in his seat.

"Harry has fought V-Voldemort, he has fought dementors, he battled a basilisk second year and saved Ginny. You lot all saw him last year in the Triwizard Tournament. You know he's good. He's brilliant at defense." She said, making an argument for Harry. It was that moment he finally decided to speak up.

"Hermione stop. Look, that all sounds great, but I had help. Loads of it. Hermione and Ron helped me study, they helped me with the Chamber of Secrets, with the Triwizard Tournament, they both helped me with all of it." He said, and Hermione frowned at him.

"He's just being modest." She said, and he shook his head.

"No Hermione. I had help with all of it." He protested, when another voice spoke up from the crowd of children.

"Is it true that you can produce a corporeal patronus?" A girl who Hermione recognized as Susan Bones, asked.

"Er, yes." Harry simply stated, and he was drowned with questions.

"How'd you learn to do that?"

"Who taught you?"

"When have you used it?"

"What form does it take?"

"Will you show us?"

Eventually, Harry, looking overwhelmed, glanced at Hermione, pleading for her to save him.

"Okay!" She called out, and it slowly quieted down in the room. But one more person decided to speak.

"Were you really there when Diggory died? Is You-Know-Who really back?" The same boy from earlier asked, and Hermione glanced nervously at Harry, who looked enraged.

"I'm not going to talk about that. Yes, he's back. But that's all I'm saying, if that's why you came here, to find out how Cedric died, then you might as well clear out." He said, and again, the boy shrunk down in his chair.

"Erm, okay, look. I have a piece of parchment for everyone to sign, we don't have a meeting place yet, but I figured out a way for us to figure it out. I have these coins." She said, reaching behind her and picking one up out of the basket that sat in the chair next to her. "We can send messages to each other, when a date appears on it, then we will have found a meeting place. Just come find Harry, Ron or I and we will tell you where. After you sign the parchment, I will give you a coin." She said. "Just form a line, and we'll start."

The line formed fairly quickly, though there was some jostling as everyone tried to form it. Hermione, Harry, and Ron had already signed, leaving room at the top of the parchment for a name of the group. Hermione was pleased that Fred and George were the first two to sign the parchment, Fred giving her a wink as he did so with a flourish. It took about five minutes for everyone to sign the parchment, there had been a bit of a delay when Cho's friend Marietta was reluctant to sign, though Hermione threatened that she would need to erase her memories from this meeting if she refused. After everyone had signed, Hermione reassured them that they would find a meeting place soon, and would let everyone know when they did. They then proceeded to disperse, Hermione falling in place outside of Hog's Head with Fred, George, and Lee. They walked a few meters in silence until Fred spoke.

"So that's what you wouldn't tell us about? Very sneaky of you." Fred stated, grinning and raising a singular eyebrow at his blushing girlfriend.

"Well I didn't tell anyone except Harry and Ron why we would be meeting, didn't want it spread around and reach the wrong ears. Though I wouldn't mind finding out who invited Smith." She said, rolling her eyes at the mention of the insistent and rude boy. Fred chuckled and nodded his head.

"Not a smart move there, but it looks like Harry set him back in place." He said, still giving her his lopsided smile. Hermione and The other two boys nodded in agreement.

"So where shall we go on a lovely day like today?" George asked, and Hermione gave him and incredulous glance, it had snowed overnight, and it was freezing outside, nothing lovely about it. He was looking at her hopefully, and she rolled her eyes, knowing exactly where the three boys would want to go since they were in Hogsmeade.

"Why don't we go to Zonko's?" She asked, exasperated, and the three boys cheered. Fred pulled her in close and gave her a sloppy kiss, making George and Lee groan.

"You have to do that right in front of us mate? It looks like your eating her face." Lee said, pretending to gag at the sight and making Hermione laugh.

"Why I take offense to that. This is me eating her face." he said, opening his mouth and clacking his teeth together as he moved his face closer to Hermione's. She laughed and ducked out from under his arm, moving to stand between George and Lee.

"Well boys, I don't think I can date a vampire. Maybe I should move on?" She asked innocently, glancing back and forth between her boyfriend's twin and their best friend. Fred growled as George grinned at him and he ran behind Hermione and scooped her up off the ground, throwing her over his shoulder and marching away.

"No! Dear brother please don't take her from us!" George wailed dramatically, clutching his heart. Hermione waved at George and Lee, laughing and clutching Fred's jumper tightly with one hand.

"Goodbye George, goodbye Lee! I'm afraid Fred is stealing me away and I may never see you again." She got out, managing to hold in her laughter for the short moment. When they finally reached Zonko's, Fred set her down gently and grinned.

"Here we are. Maybe that pesky twin of mine won't find us here." He whispered dramatically as he opened the door to the shop. They stepped inside and were greeted by an eager employee and what Hermione could only guess were very strong warming charms placed on the shop. George and Lee quickly joined them in the shop, though Hermione was content to stand behind them and listen to them chat about various things and ideas about new products they could make. Strangely enough, they left the shop empty-handed, and Hermione realized that it had been a scouting trip, as Zonko's would become their competition when they opened their own shop after they were done with school. Hermione was happy though, she realized, it was probably the first time she had truly been happy at school since Fred had told her that he loved her.

"Should we head back to school?" George asked, and it pained Hermione to hear the disappointment in his voice. She had heard it before, but never to this degree. Hermione also realized that she didn't have the normal desire to head back up to the school either, though it was starting to get dark.

"Yes, we probably should." She sighed, and they glumly walked back up to the school, where they were searched by Filch before being allowed back on the grounds.

At dinner that night, Hermione heard many whispers surrounding the meeting that had taken place earlier that day, and she rolled her eyes. She leaned across the table to Katie Bell and grabbed a roll.

"We need to get the word out to stop talking about it, otherwise, it'll reach unsavory ears." She whispered, finally grabbing a roll and grinning at Katie, who blushed and nodded before turning and whispering the same thing to Alicia. Hermione watched as the news spread quickly and quietly, everyone seemed very casual about the news they were spreading, and when she looked up at the Head Table, Umbridge seemed oblivious to what was happening before her eyes. She turned and looked at Fred, who was gazing at her in awe.

"What?" She asked, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion.

"You are scary when you need to be." Fred asked, and her eyebrow ticked up.

"You think I'm scary?" She asked, and he thought for a moment.

"Yes. And I think it's a good thing, given everything that's happening." He said, turning casually back to his plate of food.

* * *

 **Educational Decree Number Twenty Four**

"Hermione, you're the one who's always saying that we should follow the rules." Ron said, and she glared at him.

"Yes Ronald, _sensible_ rules that are in place to keep us _safe_." She emphasized. "Not idiotic decrees set by that... _toad_ that make it impossible for us to get ourselves a proper education." She hissed angrily, lowering her voice as they walked past a small group of students.

"Harry?" Ron asked, turning to the boy who, until that moment, stayed silent on their walk.

"I want to do it still." He said simply, and Ron sighed in defeat as Hermione grinned. They reached the Gryffindor table and sat down, making plates of breakfast until they realized just how many people were staring at the three of them. Hermione slowly looked around and then back at Harry. At that moment, Luna came floating casually to the Gryffindor table.

"Hello Ginny, How are you?" She asked loftily before turning to Harry. "Harry? Are we still on?" She asked, winking at him.

"Oh erm… yes?" He asked, and she nodded.

"Lovely. I will go let everyone know that study group is still going." She said, turning and walking back to her own table. Fred plopped down in the seat next to Hermione, leaning over and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"We still doing it?" He asked in her ear, and she smiled and turned back to him, nodding. He then poured three cups of coffee, putting one in front of George, one in front of Lee, and keeping one for himself. George and Lee both looked at him questioningly.

"Yes?" He asked, and they both grinned and picked up their cups. Hermione rolled her eyes at their simple code they had obviously discussed before coming down to the Great Hall. Suddenly, Katie was standing behind Harry.

"Harry, I need to talk to you." She said, and Harry turned to her.

"Don't worry, we're still doing-" He began, but she cut him off.

"No not that. Didn't any of you see it? It said teams too. We have to petition to get the Quidditch team back!" The Gryffindor captain said, obviously distraught. Harry, Fred, and George all looked at each other, scandalized. "Please Harry, and you two as well, _please_ keep your noses down. _Please_ don't give her any reason to deny our request." She begged, and Harry nodded furiously.

"Of course Katie. Anything." He said as she walked away, muttering to herself about how of course this had to happen the year she's captain. Harry turned back to Hermione, looking guilty. Fred and George were looking down at their plates, not speaking.

"She'll probably deny it just because you are on the team." Ron said, venom dripping from his voice as he stabbed a sausage on his plate. Harry looked down at his own plate, knowing that Ron could very well be right.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: I skipped most of fifth year, which is fine. I really like this chapter though, and hope that all of you do too! Much Love- Bookworm

They had gone months without being caught, though now they were meeting a little less because of the Inquisitorial Squad. Hermione had been spending a lot of time trying to keep the twins occupied and not thinking of Quidditch. It was probably the only time they would ever regret getting in a fight with Malfoy. The last time they had each been able to ride a broom had been before Christmas, when the Slytherin versus Gryffindor match took place had ended with a fight. Fred, George and Harry had all been banned from playing Quidditch, and their brooms had been confiscated and locked up in Umbridge's office.  
Fred and George both had become extremely depressed, and for a while they had stopped pranking. The castle had become calm, quiet. Part of this however, was due to the fact that dozens of students a night would have detention in the Great Hall and attend classes the next day nursing their hands. Hermione was extremely relieved when Fred and George began pranking again, though it started off with small pranks like giving out their Skiving Snackboxes again.  
It had taken a while for them to be themselves again after Christmas, after their father had been attacked by Voldemort's snake. Fred had made a habit of crawling into her bed to sleep next to her while they were staying at Grimmauld place, and after George had complained to her about how Fred was never in the room anymore so he couldn't sleep, Hermione would sneak into their room until they were caught by Molly, who had yelled at them for close to an hour before she went hoarse and stormed off to her own room. It wasn't until they were back at Hogwarts that Hermione slept next to him again, when she would sneak into their dormitory. She knew that she shouldn't, since she was a prefect, but the title had sort of lost its meaning since the inquisitorial squad had formed.  
Fred had been kind enough to not prank her while she was studying, and even helped her study by quizzing her. She had asked why he wasn't studying for his N.E.W.T.'s, and he had only shrugged and grinned at her.  
"Lee, why aren't the twins studying?" Hermione asked one day when they were in the library.  
"They say that since they already know what they're going to do, they don't need any." Lee said, avoiding her gaze. She stared at him for a moment, skeptical, before turning back to the papers in front of her.  
"Are they okay?" She asked softly, knowing that they had formed a habit of acting perfectly fine in front of her.  
"Hermione... I think you should talk to them." He said, sounding pained, and her head shot up to stare at him. He stared at her, his eyes pleading, and she nodded slowly.  
"Ask them to meet me in the Room of Requirement after dinner?" She asked him, standing and gathering her things in her book bag, and he nodded. "Thanks, I have to go meet Harry there now to talk about the next meeting." She said, and he began to gather his things too.  
"I'll make them eat fast." He said, giving her a smile and a wink. She smiled and left the library, her feet carrying her to the secret room while she thought about Fred and George. They were her best friends, it hurt her so much to know they were sad or in pain.  
She was only half paying attention as Harry discussed the next meeting with her, though he really didn't need to. He wanted to just recap everything that they had gone over so far, as everyone was far too busy studying to learn anything new. It would give them a chance to just refine anything that might be wrong with their casting. She nodded her head periodically, agreeing with everything Harry was saying.  
"Hermione? Are you alright?" Harry asked, touching her lightly on the arm to get her attention. She stared at him and blinked a couple times before realizing that he had asked her a question.  
"What? Oh yes Harry, I'm fine... Just... O.W.L.'s are right around the corner, next week. I just have a lot on my mind." She said, giving him a reassuring smile, and he bit his lip.  
"Do you think we should even meet before exams?" He asked, and she gasped.  
"Of course Harry! We need this, they need this." She said, gesturing to nobody, but meaning everyone. "Harry, you have taught them everything this year. Voldemort's back... we need to know how to defend ourselves. Isn't that exactly what Sirius has been telling you?" She asked, and he sighed.  
"Yeah... but when Snape kicked me out of occlumency lessons... I saw something Hermione. I saw one of his memories, and now... I'm not so sure I should take Sirius' advice on this." He said, and Hermione shook her head.  
"What about my advice Harry? We need this. Everyone's marks have gone up in Charms and Transfiguration since we started. This... Dumbledore's Army... It's given people hope. And we need hope now more than ever. Don't you think? She asked, and it took a moment, but eventually he nodded his agreement.  
"How about we go get some food?" He asked and she shook her head.  
"No, I'm going to stay and study for a bit. I'll see you later Harry." She said, lying about why she was staying. He nodded and exited the room, and she closed her eyes. She had been studying so much that she was getting headaches, maybe she should see a doctor once school was out about getting some glasses. She rubbed her forehead a little, and the action helped so much that she dozed off in the stuffed chair she had been sitting in.  
"Hermione?" A voice asked, and she jumped, opening her eyes to see Fred and George standing in front of her. "Hello love, Lee said you wanted to see us?" Fred said, stepping forward and giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek. She smiled and pulled him down to the stuffed chair, forcing him to sit next to her. She gestured for George to take a seat, and he did so with a wide grin on his face.  
"What's this about then?" He asked, dramatically crossing his legs and holding his hands together in his lap.  
"What's going on with the two of you?" She blurted out, and she watched as the smiles she had been greeted with slid off of her beloved twin's faces. "You aren't studying, you are barely going to classes. Why?" She asked, and the twins looked at each other. She watched as George shook his head slightly, and she stood, now angry. She walked to where she was facing both of them, and placed her hands on her hips.  
"Hermione love-" Fred started, already an apologetic look taking over his features.  
"No. You tell me. You tell me right now. No more hiding whatever it is you have been." She said. Fred and George linked gazes once more, and nodded at the same time. George stood and produced a paper with a flick of his wrist, handing it to her. She read over it quickly and looked up at them.  
"But.. this is right after school gets out. Where would you find the time... you aren't finishing school, are you?" She asked, looking back down at the grand opening flyer that was clenched tightly in her hands.  
"No. We aren't." Fred said simply, and she took a moment before nodding.  
"When are you leaving?" She asked in an almost whisper.  
"We aren't sure yet, it has to be the right time." George said, and Fred nodded in agreement.  
"We want to hack off that evil toad as much as possible." Fred added, and Hermione laughed lightly.  
"Of course you do." She said with a sigh, her anger replaced with sadness. "You're leaving me." She said this directly to her boyfriend, who had stood and walked right up to her. He shook his head viciously.  
"Never. I'm just leaving this school. You're welcome to come along if you want." He said brightly as George nodded enthusiastically.  
"And how long do you think Harry would live without me?" She asked, and he sighed.  
"Look, I am not going to break it off with you, I'm just... graduating early." He said, and she rolled her eyes. "I mean it. If you want out, you have to be the one to break it off." He said, and she threw her arms around his waist.  
"Never say that again." She said into his chest, and she felt him chuckle slightly.  
"Of course love." He said, kissing the top of her head. An idea popped into her head, and she began to laugh uncontrollably. Fred, startled, released her and looked at her in shock.  
"Erm… Hermione?" George asked nervously, and she shook her head, still laughing.  
"Love?" Fred asked, and she was able to get a deep breath into her lungs before a second wave of laughter rolled over her.  
"Has she gone mad?" George muttered, and Fred glanced at his girlfriend.  
"She might have. Did we break her?" He asked, and she finally took a few breaths, letting the laughter fade. She grinned at them both, knowing exactly what they needed to do.  
"I know when you two should leave to make her the most mad." She said, grinning. "When she is overseeing the fifth year O.W.L.'s." She said, and the twins looked at her, shocked.  
"But... you'll be there." Fred said, and she waved a hand at him.  
"She's only overseeing it, she's not the practitioner. I'll do just fine." She said, and the twins glanced at each other, wondering how they hadn't thought of that before. "It's a good thing Harry made sure to go over Accio a few weeks ago." She said thoughtfully, and they all became fully engrossed in going over the plan.

In that week disaster struck. The last meeting before O.W.L.'s, the DA had been found out and the inquisitorial squad had brought them all before Umbridge. Hermione had smirked at the sight of the girl with the word SNEAK written across her face in nasty blemishes. Umbridge had separated them, setting the rest of the students that had been caught to lines, taking Harry and Marietta to Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore had vanished, not cooperating with the ministry by going to Azkaban and leaving Hogwarts to the mercy of Umbridge. The only reprieve they had from detention was their exams, and Hermione could hardly wait for their last one, Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Remember, setting up the swamp should take up enough time that we should be nearly done, that's when you set off the fireworks and get your brooms. And make sure its the unvanishable ones, yeah?" She went over the plan with them in whispers that morning, both of the twins mentally ticking everything off. "It will give plenty time for you to get out of the castle and to the grounds." She said, and they nodded enthusiastically. She stared at Fred for a moment before seizing him and kissing him full on the mouth, getting some cheers from people surrounding them in the Great Hall.  
"Hem Hem." Came that horrible noise from behind them, and they slowly parted, Fred looking dazed as his girlfriend smiled.  
"Yes Professor?" She asked sweetly.  
"You are both in compliance of Educational Decree number-" She began, but Hermione rolled her eyes and turned back to her meal.  
"Just give us detention and move on." She said, and a few students surrounding gasped at the fact that Hermione Granger had just spoke like that toward a professor.  
"Very well, both of you will have detention every weekend until school is out, and if you continue like this it might go into next year." Umbridge said, and Hermione turned toward her, a sympathetic look on her face.  
"Oh, don't you know miss, the position is cursed. No professor has ever lasted more than a year. Our first one died actually, personally I'm hoping that happens again this year." She said, and a few students choked, staring at Hermione with bewildered looks.  
"You little-" The professor began, and this time Ron interrupted her.  
"So sorry miss, but there's a fight in the entrance hall, something about Quidditch." Ron said, and the professor glared at Hermione for a moment before turning and walking quickly out of the Great Hall.  
"What's gotten into you?" Ron asked, staring at Hermione, who just shrugged. Fred was staring at her, and she opened her mouth to make sure he was okay, when he pulled her to him and began to snog her. After a moment, a throat cleared and someone smacked Fred's arm, he released her and scooted an inch away as Umbridge walked back into the Great Hall looking furious.  
"I bloody love you witch." He said to her, and she beamed.

She had just finished her exam when the first bang rang through the Great Hall, practitioners and students alike looking around, searching for the source of the noise. Hermione didn't try to hide her grin, it was time. Umbridge made the mistake of opening the doors that separated the Great Hall from the rest of the school, and as fireworks flew into the hall, Hermione joined the throng of students that exited the hall.  
She was at the front of the crowd that surrounded Fred and George, Umbridge was screaming at them, threatening them with all sorts of punishments.  
"You two will pay! You will finally understand what becomes of wrongdoers at my school!" She screamed, and Filch came up to her, holding some papers.  
"I have the papers ready Mistress, the whip is ready. Oh please let me take them to the dungeons." He pleaded, and Umbridge smiled at the twins in front of her.  
"Oh yes. You will pay." She said simply, and the twins glanced at each other, matching grins on their faces.  
"No, I don't think we will. Will we George?" Fred asked, and George shook his head.  
"You know, I've always thought our talents laid outside our academic achievements." Fred said, they raised their wands in tandem and grinned.  
"Accio broom!" They both shouted, and there was a short silence as Fred made eye contact with Hermione.  
"Last call love. Care to join us?" He asked, and she smiled sadly, fighting the tears that were forming in her eyes.  
"I love you." She called out to them as their broomsticks crashed through the doors and came to a rest next to their owners, who had no hesitation as they mounted them.  
"Love you too." They said in unison, kicking of the ground. They set off a few more fireworks, dodging the spells that Umbridge was throwing at them. "If anyone fancies buying a portable swamp, as demonstrated on the sixth floor, we will be selling them at ninety-three Diagon Alley, our new premises!" George called out, dropping a few new fireworks. Fred swooped down and hovered next to Hermione long enough to give her a sound kiss before taking back to the sky. They turned on a dime and faced Peeves, who had been swooping and shrieking at Umbridge and Filch.  
"Give 'em hell Peeves." Fred said, and the poltergeist snapped into a salute as they red headed twins took off to the sky. Hermione watched them fly until they were only small dots in the distance, students all around her cheering and waving as they receded into the sky. Hermione smiled, she knew that they would be fine, they had a place to live. She sucked in a deep, raking breath as a few tears escaped her eyes, she would see them soon enough. She just had to wait for term to end.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Another chapter for all of you. Hope you enjoy! Much love- Bookworm

It turned out that the end of term wasn't the only thing that Hermione had to look forward to, as she quickly found out by spending time with Harry and Ron again, Harry was having nightmares. She reprimanded him for not continuing with his occlumency lessons as Dumbledore had instructed him to do, and he would roll his eyes and deny that he needed them. She would disagree and explain, again, why he did need them.

Harry, of course and like always, didn't listen to her. He continued to have nightmares, and eventually Hermione got tired of listening to him complain about what they meant.

"I just wish I knew what it meant.." Harry was saying one day, interrupting their homework again, and Hermione sighed as she snapped her book shut.

"Harry, either practice shielding your mind or just accept that you are going to keep having nightmares. Dumbledore obviously wanted you to practice, and I really don't see why you wont." She said, glaring at him.

"I told you, what if I see something like what happened to Mister Weasley?" Harry asked, and Hermione pressed her hands against her temple.

"Yes, but what if Voldemort figures out you can see some of what he sees, what if he uses it against you?" Hermione asked desperately, and Harry looked slightly uncomfortable at the prospect.

"I'll know." He said confidently, and Hermione rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Okay Harry." She said, opening her book and turning her attention back to her studies.

Hermione had been right, in fact it had been the very next night that they had flown to the ministry to save Sirius Black. He hadn't been there, his house elf had lied to Harry about him being home, and they had arrived in a seemingly empty Prophesy Room in the Department of Mysteries. It had all happened so fast, the Death Eaters arriving and attacking, then the Order coming to the rescue of the the teenagers. Even baiting Umbridge into the Forbidden Forrest to be carried off by Centaurs so that they could all sneak out of the school.

Hermione had been hit in the chest by some sort of curse, and she was in the hospital wing of Hogwarts until she was recovered. She was sitting up at the moment, ignoring the dull pain in her abdomen. She held a large book in her hands, reading it and taking notes at the same time. She was so engrossed in her book that she failed to notice a tall red-headed man walk into the Hospital Wing. She bit her lip, trying to understand a particularly complex method of potion brewing when she heard a throat clear. Her head snapped up and she brightened at who was standing before her.

"Fred!" She said, starting to stand, but he beat her to it and pushed her back into bed as he held her close, lowering himself onto the mattress next to her. "What are you doing here?" She asked, as they broke their embrace.

"You didn't expect me to just stay holed up in the shop while your here on your deathbed, did you?" He asked, grinning widely at her. "Why did you go?" He asked, his smile falling from his face as he became serious.

"I had to." She said, pleading with her eyes for him to understand, and he shook his head.

"You didn't. You don't have to be the hero all the time Hermione." He said gently, taking a hold of one of her hands and holding it gently. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at her in concern.

"What?" She asked, reaching a hand out and using her thumb to smooth out the wrinkles he had formed in his forehead.

"You just can't… You can't keep putting yourself in danger for them." He said, and he sounded as though it hurt him to say it. Hermione looked down at her lap guiltily.

"I can't just let them go and get themselves killed." She said softly, and he shook his head with a sigh. He stood up and ran his hand roughly through his hair.

"I know that. I know that." He said as he began to pace the floor. "It's getting worse Hermione… Shops are closing left and right in Diagon Alley, even more after you lot broke into the ministry." He said "The Order… They think that they are fleeing the country. That Death Eaters have come out of hiding. You've seen the Prophet, you know that loads just escaped Azkaban." He said, gesturing to the paper that lay on a small table next to Hermione's bed.

"I know Fred." She said, and he looked at her hopelessly.

"So why?" He asked, and she took a deep breath.

"I have to help them." She said simply, and he shook his head. "I'm in danger anyway, I'm a muggle born Fred." She said, and he stared at her.

"I'm aware of that Hermione, but how am I supposed to know you're safe if you keep running off with my brother and Harry? You are going to get yourselves killed." He said, his voice raising with his anger. Hermione looked offended, and eyed him as he continued his pacing.

"Fred?" A voice asked, and Hermione looked up to see George standing in the doorway of the Hospital Wing. Fred stared at him for a moment before glancing at his girlfriend and walking out of the wing. George watched his twin leave before he came and sat in the chair next to Hermione's bed.

"Hello George." She said softly, mulling over everything that Fred had just said. George smiled and pulled a Chocolate Frog out of his pocket and handed it to her.

"Hello love." He said, pulling another out for himself and unwrapping it. He sighed at the first bite, swallowing before his eyes settled on Hermione. "Why is it always you three?" He asked, and Hermione let out a laugh, holding her abdomen as pain shot through it.

"I honestly have no idea George." She said, letting her head fall back onto the pillow behind her.

"He's just worried… He loves you." George said, and she nodded.

"He's right though, it's going to get worse, and I can't stop it." She said, thinking about how simple everything had been the year before Voldemort had returned.

"Stop helping, or stop it getting worse?" George asked for clarification, and Hermione glanced at him before settling her gaze on the ceiling.

"Both. I suppose." She said, and he nodded.

"I thought so." He said, stuffing the rest of the chocolate in his mouth. "What's going to happen now?" He asked her, and she shrugged.

"I have no idea. Umbridge is gone, so there's one thing." She said, feeling sleepy.

"Well good on you for getting rid of that sad excuse of a toad." George said, grinning encouragingly at him. She smiled back and nodded her thanks.

"Sirius is dead." She said somberly, and George nodded.

"It's hitting everyone really hard." He replied, and sudden realization dawned on her. Fred and George had loved that man. She shook her head sadly.

"It's just the beginning, isn't it?" She asked, and George looked at her thoughtfully for a moment.

"I think so." He said, and she let out a soft sigh.

Hermione, for the first time in a long time, was glad to be going home. She wanted to see her parents, and Fred had visited her while she was in the Hospital Wing, glum every time. She loved the man, but she was getting tired of him being mad at her. When she got home, she told her parents about Fred and George, how they had left school to start up a joke shop in Diagon Alley, and how her duties as Prefect had gone. She didn't say anything about Voldemort, nothing about the fight at the ministry, none of it. She never told her parents about the dangerous things that without fail transpired every year. She never told them about how dangerous the Wizarding World had become.

In fact, everything had almost slipped her mind when her mum suggested they go swimming one day, and had seen Hermione's purple scar peeking out from the swimming suit Hermione had thrown on.

"Hermione, what is that dear?" Her mum asked, gently pressing her finger against the colored flesh. Hermione hissed, it was still quite sensitive. She pulled away from her mother, who looked extremely worried.

"It's nothing mum." She said, she had hoped that she would never have to tell them everything that transpired in her world, knowing they would try to keep her from it.

"Hermione darling, why are you hiding it?" Her mum asked, and Hermione turned away from her, biting her lip as she searched her mind for an explanation.

"It's nothing mum, I tripped getting on the train the other day and fell onto a trunk. Its just a bruise." Hermione muttered, and her mother looked skeptical but nodded anyway. Hermione sighed as her mother walked away, she would need to get a different swimming suit.

Fred,

You haven't written me back. Why? School was out almost three weeks ago. Please Fred, talk to me. I hate that you're still mad. I'm going to the Burrow in a couple weeks, thought you should know since I'm sure your mum hasn't said anything to you. I'm sure she expects that you and I have been talking all summer. My mum and dad would love to meet you before I leave, maybe you could come fetch me and have dinner with them? Please write me back.

Love,

Hermione

She was fidgety the entire day, she had only heard back from Fred once, saying he would be here to get her around five, just in time for dinner with her parents. She double checked that she had all of her things packed, and practically fell down the stairs when she heard a knock on the door. She landed on the flat ground just in time to see her dad open the door to reveal a tall Weasley. It wasn't who she had been expecting however, and she stopped short when she saw her boyfriend's twin standing at the door, a bunch of flowers in his hand.

"Fred Weasley?" Her dad asked, extending a hand to George, who nodded.

"Pleasure to meet you sir." He said, and her father ushered him inside, telling them that dinner was nearly ready, before leaving them alone in the front entry. Hermione glared as she approached George and took the flowers.

"Where's Fred?" She hissed under her breath, and George pulled her into a hug.

"Pissed at our flat. He was feeling a bit nervous." He said in her ear, and Hermione groaned. The first time her parents met her boyfriend it wasn't even going to be him.

"He's in trouble." She said in a low voice, and George chuckled. He cleared his throat as her parents walked back into the entry way and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"It's so nice to see you love." He said, taking her hand awkwardly as she walked forward to introduce him properly. She held back the grimace that wanted to show on her face at holding the wrong twin's hand, and forced herself to smile.

"Mum, dad, this is Fred." She said, hating every word. They adored him of course, but it bothered Hermione greatly that they liked the wrong man. Of course he was acting Fred perfectly, to where when they really did meet him, they wouldn't be able to tell that they had been tricked. Hermione spent the entire meal staring down at her plate, only speaking if it became absolutely necessary. As soon as they finished the last bite, Hermione stood abruptly and cleared her throat.

"I'm so sorry mum and dad, but I just remembered, we are all going to the shop in the morning, the grand opening. So we really should be going." She said, and they nodded in understanding. When Hermione and George made it outside, and he held his arm out to her for side-along apparation, she glared at him.

"Take me to Fred." She said, and he nodded. They were pulled by the naval into nothingness, breaking all laws of Muggle physics with their magic. Hermione hated apparation, but it really was a great deal better than flying in her opinion. After only a moment, they landed inside a dimly lit flat, and Hermione saw a lump on the couch in front of her.

"Oh Fred." She sighed, kneeling down next to the sleeping man and brushing his red hair out of his face. She looked at him silently for a moment before shaking her head and standing.

"Are you alright?" George whispered, and she nodded.

"Can I just use the floo to get to the Burrow?" She also whispered, and he grabbed a pot off of the fireplace, offering the powder out to her. She grabbed a handful and glanced back at Fred one more time before she threw it in the flames, turning them green, and stepping into the fire.

"The Burrow!"


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: I know it's been a while, And I know that this is a huge disappointment. But this needed to happen, so I can skip to seventh year! I really am going to skip pretty much all of sixth year, maybe I'll do the battle, maybe 2 more for sixth year, but other than that... Anyway, please Review! Much love- Bookworm

She hadn't lied to her parents the day before, they really were going to the twin's shop. At the moment she was standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, wondering if she really did want to see her boyfriend.

"Hermione? Are you ready?" Ginny asked, standing in the doorway. Hermione sighed and ran her hand through her hair.

"As ready as I'm going to be." She muttered, and Ginny raised an eyebrow at her.

"Are you alright 'Mione?" The younger girl asked, and Hermione leaned her back against the vanity.

"George came to mine for dinner last night. Fred was pissed and passed out in their flat. He was supposed to come for dinner and officially meet my parents." She said, crossing her arms and frowning.

"Are you joking? Fred…" Ginny trailed off.

"Fred has been distant ever since what happened at the Ministry." Hermione said, and Ginny bit her lip.

"I'm sorry Hermione." She said, Hermione nodded and pushed off from the vanity.

"We should go, otherwise they'll ask questions." Hermione said as she walked out of the bathroom.

Hermione, Harry and the Weasleys all flooed to Diagon Alley one after the other, and walked in a tight group to the brightly colored shop on the corner of two streets. It was the only shop that looked as though it was getting any business, people were walking in and out, and when the large group walked in, they found it was impossible to stay as a group. Hermione and Ginny stayed on the outskirts of the crowded shop, and they soon found themselves in front of a cage of small, colorful creatures. They were admiring them when a throat cleared behind them. Hermione turned and found herself face to face with her boyfriend. Her smile fell from her face and his faltered as he looked at her.

"Hello little sister." He said, giving Ginny a hug. "Hello love." He said, giving her a light kiss on the cheek.

"Ginny, I'm sorry, but do you mind if I leave you for just a minute?" Hermione asked, smiling at Ginny, who nodded.

"Of course." Ginny said, turning and sticking her finger in the cage.

"If mum says so, you can have one for free." Fred muttered, giving her a wink. She grinned and immediately turned to look for her mother. Hermione gave him a meaningful look, and he sighed before gesturing for her to follow him. She made her way through the crowded shop, following closely behind him. In only a moment, she was being led out of the crowd and through a door, into what seemed to be a stockroom of sorts.

"Fred." She said simply when he stopped walking and turned to her.

"Hermione." He sighed, rubbing his neck with one hand. "I-"

"What is going on with you?" She asked, and he avoided her gaze. "Fred… are you still mad at me?" She asked, and he finally met her gaze.

"It's always them Hermione. It's always them over me." He said, and she shook her head.

"No it's not Fred. Just because I didn't run away from Hogwarts with you?" She asked.

"Do we have to do this right now?" He asked, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"Yes Fredrick. You didn't show last night. You were supposed to meet my parents, and instead George was there." She said angrily.

"Look, I'm sorry. I was nervous." He said, indeed looking apologetic.

"Fred, I don't want a sorry. I wanted you to write me, I wanted you to be there for me." She said, walking close to him and looking up at his face. "Are we…?" She left the question hanging.

"I don't know. I think this might be too hard when we are trying to be long distance." He said softly.

"Are you pulling my wand?" She asked, hoping against hope that he was joking.

"Hermione… We just opened the shop. You still have two years left at school." He said, reaching to grasp one of her hands.

"I can't believe you." She said, stepping out of his reach. "After everything?" She asked, struggling to keep herself calm.

"It's just until-" He began.

"Until when? What if Voldemort kills me before then?" She asked, shaking her head.

"Hermione-"

"Thats why you didn't write, isn't it? It's why you were so nervous? You've been planning this?" She asked, and he sighed.

"I was trying to think… I love you Hermione. I do. But with everything going on… I'm part of the order now… I don't want us worrying about eachother when…" He trailed off, and Hermione felt tears hit her cheeks.

"When it could get us killed…" She finished his sentence. She noticed that his chin was shaking, and she pulled him into her arms. "Okay… After." She said, and he nodded against her hair.

"I love you." He whispered.

"I know… I love you too." She said.

"Two years will fly by." He said as she released him.

"Maybe… But will you still be here?" She asked, he didn't answer and with a deep breath she turned and walked out of the room, swiping the tears off of her cheeks.

She avoided not just Fred, but also George for the rest of the summer. She spent her days reading and listening to Harry speculate about how Draco Malfoy could be a death eater. Hermione wasn't sure about that, she didn't think that Voldemort would trust someone who was so young. She tried to tell Harry about that, but he refused to hear reason and kept on with his own opinion.

It wasn't until the welcome feast when they were at Hogwarts that Hermione thought that possibly Harry might be onto something. He had shown up to the feast late, his nose broken and bleeding. He had told her and Ron that Draco had stunned him and had stomped on his nose, that he had overheard him talking and it had sounded like he was working for Voldemort.

"That doesn't prove anything Harry." She had said in a low tone, and Harry had sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Ron?" He had asked, and Ron had bitten his lip.

"I don't know mate, seems like it could be a bit far fetched." He had answered slowly. Harry had groaned and ignored them for the rest of the meal.

She had gotten her first letter from Fred a week into term, and it was written like they were still together. She smiled when she read it, reading over his words again and again. She hadn't come out and said anything yet, she hadn't really told anyone that they had split up. She found that she really didn't want to tell anyone. She did love him still, this was only temporary. Just until what needed to be done was done. The only question that was in her mind was how long would it be before they took care of Voldemort?

With all of her classes and prefect duties, Hermione found herself with less and less time to help Harry and Ron with all of their work. She found herself wondering why she hadn't run away with Fred and George, knowing that if Voldemort won she would be wishing she had. His letters kept her sane, without the DA her days seemed like they had no meaning. Harry had become the Quidditch Captian, which meant he and Ron were always outside, he was helping Ron get into the right shape for keeper. She tried to spend time with Ginny, but she was busy practicing as well, as she was planning on trying out for chaser again this year. Without Fred and George, Hermione found herself dodging classmates in the hall, all of them having a determined look in their eyes.

The first time she hadn't, and it had resulted in a Hufflepuff seventh year asking her to Hogsmeade. The following conversation had been massively uncomfortable as she turned him down. Her declining of the date apparently had not been news worthy, as that same week two other boys asked her on a date. It took another week for her to recognize the look in their eyes before they asked her, and she had taken to the secret passageways in the school to and from classes. Even though they had broken up, she still felt the need to be loyal to Fred.


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: Remember, moving quickly. I just skipped all of sixth year. Anyway, its not a terribly long chapter, but I do hope you all enjoy it. Please review! Much Love- Bookworm.

Hermione and Fred had continued to write each other, much more frequently than they had over the last summer. With the pressure of a relationship gone, they seemed much more at ease. Though Hermione still called him her boyfriend, she was careful to not say anything like that to him. She didn't want him under any obligation to her, even though she was pleased whenever George told her that Fred still referred to her as his girlfriend as well. Hermione had finally told Ginny everything right before the Christmas holidays, knowing that her friend would be curious if she avoided Fred. They may be on good terms, but she had no doubt that it would be painful to see him.

As it turned out, the Christmas holidays weren't nearly as awkward as Hermione thought it would be. She had sat in between Ginny and Ron, finding Fred in his old room later Christmas evening to give him her gift. He had smiled happily as he opened the medium sized box, revealing many muggle magic tricks she thought that he would enjoy. He had then handed her a thick book-shaped package. She set it down on the bed to open it, and was thrilled when she saw it. He had gifted her a huge volume of spells, it quite reminded her of a dictionary. She flipped it open, and saw that it had multiple sections in it. Healing spells, transfiguration, defensive spells, offensive spells, even household charms. She had thrown her arms around him in an embrace and he had hugged her back gently.

That had been months ago, it was nearly the end of sixth year and Hermione was growing more and more nervous. More people were going missing or being found dead every day, and ever since Harry had told her about Horcruxes things in the world around them seemed to be getting worse. His appointments with Dumbledore left him tired, and even though they didn't share all the same classes , Hermione found herself helping him with his homework so that he didn't fail.

'I got it!" Harry yelled as he entered the common room. Hermione jumped up from her seat, as did Ron. They had been waiting for him to come back. He had been out trying to get a memory out of Slughorn, he had finally put his liquid luck to good use and gotten what he needed.

"Now what?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"He wants me to come with him." He said, sounding anxious but excited.

"To get one?" She asked, looking nervously at Ron.

"I think. Look, I have to get my cloak." He said, walking past them quickly. Hermione watched him disappear into the boy's dormitory, fidgeting with her hands. Before she knew it, he was rushing back into the room, tossing something to Ron and handing what she knew was the Marauders Map, to Hermione. Ron looked down at his hands, then back at Harry, confused.

"Mate, I have socks." He said.

"Its Felix. Look, I have a feeling something bad is going to happen tonight. You two share it, give some to Ginny too. Patrol the halls, use the map." He said, stuffing his invisibility cloak into his pocket.

"Harry, the Order is here…" Hermione said carefully.

"I know… Just… please?" He said, and after a moment she nodded.

"Be safe." She said as he walked toward the portrait hole.

"You too." He said, giving them a glance before leaving the common room.

Hermione and Ron stared at each other for a long moment, both of them nervous. Ron cleared his throat, shaking them out of their silence.

"I'll go get Ginny." Hermione said in a whisper as he slowly unfolded the socks to reveal the small vial of golden liquid. She ran up the stair to the fifth year girls' dormitory. She slowly opened the door, and saw Ginny was the only one awake.

"Psst." Hermione let out, and Ginny's head snapped up from her book to face the door. When she realized it was Hermione, she jumped up from her bed and exited the dormitory, softly closing the door behind her.

"Hermione. Is everything okay?" She asked.

"Harry wants us to patrol." Hermione answered, and Ginny nodded in agreement without another word.

It had been quiet, until they saw Malfoy wandering the halls before disappearing somewhere on the seventh floor. Ron had looked up at her, his brows furrowed.

"Where-" He started, and she gasped.

"Room of Requirement." She said, and they started off together toward the Room of Hidden Things. They had picked up Luna somewhere along the way, and she was grateful for that when things literally went dark. They had to hold hands and feel there way along a wall until they were able to see again, and Hermione couldn't help the panic that was rising in her throat. Before they knew it, spells were flying. And every single one seemed to miss by them. Hermione thanked Harry silently that he had given them the rest of his potion, though she knew it wouldn't last much longer. After what seemed like forever, they heard a shout. Hermione felt relief flood through her as she saw Professor Snape running through what had been an invisible barrier. But then she saw Malfoy. Her brow furrowed and her wand fell a little as she attempted to understand what was happening.

"SNAPE!" She heard Harry's voice bellow from the stairwell. He came running out after all the death eaters that had just exited.

"Harry!" She called out as spells went flying around them, she stepped forward but was stopped as a red stream of light flew right in front of her. "Harry, stop!" She screamed, throwing a spell angrily at a death eater. She wanted to chase after him, to help him, but there were so many people in the way. She felt stuck, and then she suddenly wasn't. It was as though something had summoned all of the death eaters, and they were now gone. Hermione rushed over to Ginny and Luna, who were standing side by side.

"Are you okay?" She asked, and they looked at each other before nodding. "Okay good." She said, suddenly breathless. She nodded and stuffed her wand into her pocket as teachers descended onto them.

"Miss Granger. What in the world are you all doing here?" Flitwick asked, looking around at the students that stood around him.

"Erm… Nothing sir. Ron and I were on patrol, and heard shouting…" She trailed off, and Ron nodded vigorously.

"And you two?" Flitwick asked, eyeing Ginny and Luna.

"Couldn't sleep." They said at the same time, and Hermione bit back a smile. "You should all-" He stopped speaking as a they heard shouts ring through the castle. Without a word, they all began to run down the stairs, following students that were streaming down the staircases. Outside, Hermione gasped as she saw the glowing embers that used to be Hagrids hut. She wasn't the only one that noticed, as she looked around and saw people cover their mouths with their hands. She looked around, trying to find Harry in the crowd. When she did, her knees grew weak under her.

The half moon illuminated a person that was laying on the ground under the astronomy tower, and Harry was kneeling down next to the body. She slowly walked to where he was, she didn't realize how many people had gathered around as she stared at the man that lay on the ground. The seemingly eternal man that now appeared to be dead. His eyes were open, she could see the moonlight glinting off of them. She glanced around, and saw that Ron and Ginny were standing beside her. She saw McGonagall raise her wand, illuminating the tip. With a shaky hand, Hermione pulled out her own and raised it high above her head. She swiped tears off her face as students and staff alike followed suit. Her shoulders began to shake, her arm threatening to fall.

It was horrible, Hermione wondered why they couldn't have had a normal life. She wondered why she had to be involved at all. The castle was quiet. Exams had been canceled, classes had been cancelled. Dozens of parents had arrived the next day to pull their children out of school. Dumbledore, the most well-known wizard and the only wizard that Voldemort had been afraid of, was dead. Word spread faster than fiendfyre about the news. Fred had sent a short letter to her the next day, and she had finally let her grief overtake her as she looked down at the letter in her hands.

"Hermione?" Ginny asked softly, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"Everythings going to change now…" Hermione said thickly, her shoulders shaking as she cried.

"I know love…" Ginny muttered, gently putting an arm around her shoulders. "It's going to be okay." She said, and Hermione nodded, resolving herself.

"His funeral's tomorrow…" She said softly, and Ginny let out a sigh.

"I know…. Everyone's coming." She said, glancing at Hermione. She raised her eyebrows at the redhead, who let a sly smile play on her face.

"You mean…" Hermione trailed off, letting the question hang in the air between them.

"Fred will be there, I'm sure he'll give you a shoulder to cry on." Ginny said, winking and making Hermione blush.

"I told you, we aren't together." Hermione said softly, looking at the letter in her hands.

"Yeah, you said that. But… This." She said, tapping the paper lightly. "You might not be together, you're too busy trying to save the world, but you still love him." Ginny said softly, giving Hermione a smile before standing from the bed and walking away.


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: I know it has been way too long since I posted a new chapter, and I am so sorry. But I really like how this one turned out, and I hope you do too. Warning: there are multiple time jumps in this chapter, but you should get it pretty easily. :) hopefully the next chapter won't take so long. Much Love- Bookworm

Like Ginny had said, Fred was at the funeral the next day. He had immediately walked over to where Hermione had been with Harry and Ron, and drew her into a tight hug. She had cried so much the last couple days, she didn't think that she would ever cry again. Even now, when she had reason and opportunity, she only closed her eyes and relaxed into his hold.

"Fred." She muttered, and he brought a hand up to the back of her head as he kissed her cheek.

"I know." He whispered to her. After a few moments, he slowly took a step back and gazed into her eyes. "Are you okay?" He asked softly, and she shook her head.

"No…" She said, and he nodded.

"Sit next to me?" He asked as people began to move toward their seats. She nodded, and he led her by the hand to where Harry, Ron, and Ginny had settled. She instinctively reached out and gripped Harry's hand, and he gave her a thankful glance. That was how she sat for the duration of the funeral, holding onto both Fred and Harry as the small Ministry official spoke in front of the crowd.

She stood with the rest of the crowd when the centaurs launched their arrows, and the funeral came to an end. Fred stayed with her, just standing in between chairs as everyone made their way back inside the castle. He had his arm slung around her, and when she finally looked up at him, he had tear tracks running down his face. He wasn't crying now, his face was hard, he looked angry.

"Fred?" She asked softly, and he looked down at her.

"Never thought he would die… He was the only thing that kept everyone safe." He said. "He's dead." He repeated, taking a deep breath and looking over the chairs to the marble tomb that now decorated the grounds.

"Things are going to change." She said, and he nodded.

"I think they already have." He muttered. "Should we go back to the castle?" He asked, and she nodded. They walked together, hand in hand, back up to the castle and into the Great Hall where everyone had congregated. They easily found the group of Weasleys, and sat down with them. As soon as they sat, Molly reached across the table and grasped Hermione's hand.

"Are you alright dear?" She asked, and Hermione nodded. She could be honest with Fred, but she couldn't tell Molly that she thought the world was falling apart, and she knew that it would be up to Harry, Ron, and herself to put it back together.

Fred stayed by her side up until the moment that he and George had to go back to Diagon Alley. She walked them to the Entrance Hall, and Fred waved at George to go outside. He looked at her for a moment before pulling her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck, his own arms tight around her waist. She took in a deep breath, taking in the smell of him.

"I love you." He said, and she smiled at him. He gently kissed her lips, keeping it short.

"Fred…" She started, knowing that they shouldn't be acting like a couple if they weren't one.

"I know." He sighed. "I just wanted to say it." She smiled and shook her head a little."

"I… Love you." She said back to him. "And you need to get going, you've kept George waiting long enough. "I'll be at The Burrow soon. I'm going to get mum and dad to go into hiding." She said, and his brow furrowed for a moment before he nodded.

"I'll see you soon." He said, and she smiled. He sighed and turned, leaving her standing in the Entrance Hall. She had her arms wrapped around herself, staring at the large doors in front of her, when Harry walked up to her and touched her shoulder. She jumped a little, and turned to look at Harry, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Hermione, we have to go get everything packed." He said, and she nodded before following Harry up the staircase.

The train ride home that year was different, especially because Hermione knew that she wouldn't be returning on it on September First. Harry, Ron, and herself had all come to the decision already. After the wedding, they would go on the hunt for Horcruxes. Harry had tried to put up a fight about it, told Hermione and Ron that they would be better off going back to Hogwarts. Hermione knew that he was wrong though. Voldemort would surely take over the school, and it was no secret that Hermione and Ron were close with The Boy Who Lived. Not to mention, Hermione was a mudblood. All three of them were quiet on the train back, they didn't speak to eachother at all. Hermione tried to read, but it was really just her staring at one page, just staring at the letters on the page. Crookshanks was curled up on her lap, and she stroked him absentmindedly with one hand. When they reached the platform, Hermione quickly scanned the crowd and found her parents. She turned and hugged both Harry and Ron tightly, whispering to each of them that they would see her soon. She faced her parents, and slowly left the station with them, wondering how she would convince them to run away from England.

* * *

"Obliviate." She whispered, her wand pointed at her parents. She twisted her wrist and bent her arm a little at the elbow, completing the spell. Her heart hurt. She didn't know that was possible. She had been hurt before, she had the scars to prove it. She had felt the sting of curses, the pain of heartbreak. She had felt pain, but this was almost unbearable.

She looked around the room and was in awe of the power magic held. Photographs of her were fading, leaving the backgrounds and an empty space. She knew that the same thing was happening in her parent's minds. She also knew that she had rebuilt their lives in their minds, or at least she hoped she had. She hiked her rucksack up onto her shoulder and slowly walked out of the house. She stood outside for a few minutes, letting the spell do it's work. When she was almost certain that it was finished, she waved her wand, changing the name on the post box. She then took a deep breath, lifted her hand, and knocked gently on the door.

"Hello dear. Can I help you?" Her mother asked, smiling gently. Hermione pulled a brochure out of her pocket and held it out.

"Hello, I am going door to door talking about real estate. Have you ever considered Australia?" She asked, knowing that Monica and Wendell had always dreamed of going there. "We have inexpensive real estate available now!" Hermione said, forcing a smile onto her face.

"Oh that's lovely! Thank you. Can I have that?" Her mother asked, and Hermione held it out to her. She then bid her a good day before turning and walking down the street to an alley. She leaned against a brick building, breathing deeply and fighting back tears. She knew this would be safer for them, but it didn't make it hurt any less. She let herself feel the pain for a minute before she took a deep breath and pushed off of the wall. She slowly pulled her wand out of her pocket and closed her eyes before she spun on the spot, apparating to the Burrow.

* * *

"He's going to be fine Fred." She reassured him. They were in his bedroom, they had just gotten Harry and had found out that George had lost an ear.

"Snape… Damn it…. Snape!" He yelled, shoving his hands through his hair. "He lost an ear… He could have lost his head." He said, pacing the room.

"But he didn't." She said softly.

"I know that!" He bellowed, turning to face her. Her brow furrowed and she bit her lip, knowing that he was upset and had a right to be upset. She slowly stood and walked up to him, and gently took his hands.

"I know that you are scared… and you're right. He could have lost his head, but he got lucky and we aren't losing him. Okay?" She asked. He stared at her for a minute before nodding.

"Yeah…" He said.

"And he obviously didn't get hit hard enough if he's making jokes about missing an ear." She said with a wink, making him laugh.

"We should go downstairs, I'm sure that mum almost has dinner ready." Fred told her. He led the way to the door and opened it for her, letting her down the stairs first. She made her way over to the couch, kneeling down next to George and taking his hand.

"Hi George." She said, and he peeled his eyes open to see her.

"Hey." He said, squeezing her hand.

* * *

"You look amazing." She said, one eyebrow raised as she looked at Fred. He turned and his mouth fell open comically.

"You look bloody brilliant." He replied, looking her over in her dress.

"Wish your aunt thought so. She told me that I have skinny ankles." She said, rolling her eyes as he laughed.

"My aunt is blind as a bat. Don't listen to that old witch." He said with a grin. He glanced over his shoulder to the opening of the large wedding tent and let out a sigh. "I have to go seat people. I'll save you one next to me." He told her, and she nodded.

She had never been to a wizard wedding, and she loved it. She had only been to a handful of muggle weddings, but this was by far the best wedding that she had ever attended. She had a glass of firewhisky in her hand, and was talking with George, when Fred joined them.

"Hello, love." He said, giving her a sloppy kiss on the cheek. She laughed and leaned into him, enjoying the moment. "Hello George." He said with a wide grin.

"Hey Fred." Hermione said sweetly. "Enjoying the party?" She asked, and he nodded as he finished his own glass of firewhisky.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked, giving her a dramatic bow and offering out his hand.

"Of course." She said, smiling and taking his hand in hers. They waltzed around the dance floor together, Fred holding her close against him. She was so happy, enjoying the moment.

"Fred, I love-" She started, but was cut off by a patronus sailing into the middle of the tent.

"The Ministry has fallen…. They are coming…" It said in the voice of Kingsley. Hermione looked at Fred, who scanned the room before spinning her around and pushing her toward Harry. She reached out and grabbed Harry's hand before she turned to look at Fred one more time.


	26. Chapter 26

_Dear Fred,_

 _I miss you. Which is strange, because there are things all around this house that remind me of you. Your old room still has some of your things in it. Well, and George's stuff too, of course. I've spent some nights in there, the bed still smells like you a little. I don't mean for that to sound creepy… I know that if I was actually telling you this, that you would laugh._

 _We have a plan, we know what one of the Horcruxes is. We are already working on tracking it. Kreacher is actually helping us, though Harry was a tad reluctant to even ask him to help. We should be hearing back from him soon. On a cheerful note, he has stopped calling me Mudblood. Kreacher now calls me Miss Hermione. Kindness does do some good with House Elves, just like I said._

 _We have been taking turns going into the Muggle world to get food. Don't worry though, we disguise ourselves every time before we go out. We aren't really taking any chances after what happened in the cafe. I know I can't send this, I wish I could. But I can't risk you getting hurt if I send this to you and it gets tracked._

 _I Love You,_

 _Hermione_

She set down her quill and folded up the piece of parchment, opened up a drawer of the desk that she was sitting at, and slid the letter in it. She let out a sigh and turned back to look at Harry and Ron, who were playing a game of Wizard's Chess to pass the time. They were all getting a little restless. As Harry had said, they had only expected Kreacher to be gone for a few hours. It had been two days already, and nobody had heard a peep out of him.

"You okay?" Harry asked, looking up and seeing that she was watching them.

"I'm fine." She said, and he held her gaze for a moment before giving a nod and turning back to the game. In reality, she wasn't sure what they would do, even after they were able to get the Horcrux. They had no idea what the others could be, and Hermione had no idea how to even figure it out.

She knew how hard it was to be in Grimmauld Place for Harry, and if she was being honest with herself she didn't fancy it either. Being in the house that used to be Sirius's home was unnerving. It was nice to find things that had belonged to the Weasley's though, whenever they did. Like how yesterday, Harry had found a closet full of knitted blankets. They all knew that Molly Weasley had made them.

The next day, everything changed. Kreacher came back, Dobby and Mundungus Fletcher in tow. He and Dobby had wrestled around for a moment with Fletcher before Hermione, Ron and Harry ran into the kitchen where they had appeared.

"Kreacher!" Harry bellowed, and the elf stilled. "Dobby?" He said as he saw the other elf.

"Master Harry!" He squeaked happily. Hermione saw that Mundungus had drawn his wand, and she flicked her own, silently disarming him. She caught the wand out of the air and shoved it into her pocket.

"There was a locket. What happened to it?" Harry asked.

Of course it was Umbridge. They sat around the table, trying to think of a way that they could get the locket back. Hermione sighed and placed her hands flat on the table.

"I only see one way that we could get it." She said.

"Kill her?" Ron said under his breath.

"Ron!" She said, glaring at him.

"What? After everything fifth year, I say she deserves it." He said, defending himself. Hermione raised her eyebrows and sighed.

"That's not up to us to decide. No, our best option is…" She sighed again, not believing that she was really thinking this. "We have to break into the Ministry." She said. Harry and Ron both stared at her, mouths open.

* * *

 _Fred,_

 _We are about to do something crazy. And yet, I think this will be the least crazy thing that we will do in this war. I won't say what, just in case someone who shouldn't find this does. But I'm sure you will hear about it, and I'm sorry for what this will do to your family. I'm sure that you will be questioned, and I really hope you won't be, but you could possibly even be arrested._

 _I should have helped all of you go into hiding. I told you what I did with my parents, maybe I should have done the same to you. I know it's selfish, but I want you to be safe. As long as you are alive, nothing else matters to me. No… That's not what you would have wanted. I know that._

 _We have a good plan though, everything is planned out. We have spent the last month planning everything. Lupin came to see us. Said that he wanted to come along with us. Then we found out that Tonks is pregnant. Harry said some really nasty things to him, but it made him leave and go back to her. I've told him so many times that he isn't able to pass on lycanthropy to his children unless he scratches them or bites them. He doesn't believe me though. Oh well, he'll see. I have to go, I love you Fred. I wish I could tell you that to your face. Soon, I hope._

 _Love,_

 _Hermione_

Things didn't quite go as planned at the Ministry. Yes, they had gotten the locket , but they had been found out and chased all the way back to the floo grate. Yaxley had grabbed a hold of her ankle right before they had been taken to Grimmauld place, and as soon as she got free of him, just as they had gotten to Grimmauld, she apparated away with Harry and Ron.

As they landed on the forest floor, the first thing that came to mind was thank Merlin she had thought to put enchantments on the dresser. She didn't want anyone finding those letters and attacking the Weasleys, though they were bound to now that they knew that Ron was with Harry.

Her second thought, was that something sticky was on her hand, and as she looked around, she saw that her hand was resting on Ron's bloody arm. Her breathing stilled for a moment as she realized that he had splinched. She quickly sat up and stared at him for a moment before coming to her senses.

"Harry! I need you to grab the Dittany out of my bag!" She called to him after seeing that her bag had landed right next to him. She pulled out her wand and began muttering every healing charm that she could think of, not that it did very much to the mangled arm. She should have studied more first aid charms, she thought to herself as she hopelessly worked on his arm. At least she had the good sense to pack some healing potions and Dittany. She only hoped that it hadn't shattered when they landed.

* * *

Ron was slowly healing, they had stayed in one place for far too long because he wasn't well enough to apparate again, but Harry had insisted that they move. So they walked. Slowly, as Ron was feeble and unable to move at a fast pace. She hadn't packed any blood replenishing potion, so his body was forced to replenish itself. That in itself was a feat, as they never had enough food. Hermione knew that the Weasley's wouldn't forgive her if he died while in her care, so she did her best.

Worse still, they had no way to destroy the locket. They took turns wearing it, but it soured their mood. Hermione insisted that Ron not wear the thing, as he was still healing. So she and Harry took turns, she tried to take it more than he did. She was trying to make it easier on him. She felt so helpless until she read something that gave her an idea.

"Harry!" She called from the picnic table in the tent. He ducked inside and raised his eyebrows. "Look at this." She said, tapping the page with a finger. He looked over her shoulder, his head tilted a little.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" He asked, and she let out an exasperated sigh.

"Harry. The sword only takes in that which makes it stronger. You destroyed the first hurcrux with a Basilisk fang. How did you kill the Basilisk?" She asked, hoping that she was remembering the story correctly.

"I… Stabbed it.." He said, his face lighting up enthusiastically. She smiled and nodded.

"That means we could destroy it with the sword." She said, and he nodded.

"Hermione, you are brilliant." He said, sitting down on the bench next to her. "There's only one problem-"

"Sword's lost." Ron said, startling both Hermione and Harry. "That's right, I'm still here. You two go on though, I don't want to ruin the party." He said sourly.

"Ron-" Hermione started.

"No. You two act like I don't exist. Like I'm not here too. But I am!" He said angrily. Hermione's gaze went to the locket around his neck that he had insisted he could start wearing two weeks ago, and she stood.

"Ron, take off the locket." She said, but was drowned out by his shouting.

"You have no idea where we are going, what we are doing!" He shouted at Harry.

"If you haven't noticed, we have the locket!" Harry shouted back, raising to his feet and pointing at the locket around Ron's neck.

"Yeah, and we are about as close to destroying it as we are to finding the others!" Ron yelled. "I thought Dumbledore told you more! I thought you knew what we were doing!" He said.

"I told you everything I know!" Harry said heatedly.

"Ron, take it off!" Hermione shouted over them. Ron reached up and ripped the locket off from around his neck, throwing it down on the ground.

"I'm done! I'm not going on a wild goose chase when we are being hunted by Death Eaters and the Ministry!" Ron shouted, and Hermione's mouth fell open.

"Ron, you don't mean that!" She said.

"Don't I?" He asked, grabbing his rucksack from the ground and shoving his clothes into it.

"Ron, we said we would stay with Harry." She said, walking to him and attempting to stop him

"That was when I thought he knew what he was doing!" Ron said angrily. Hermione placed a hand on his arm, but he pulled away and threw his bag onto his shoulder. "And you?" He asked, staring at her pointedly.

"What?" She asked, furrowing her brow.

"Are you coming, or are you staying?" He asked her.

"Ron… We promised." She said, and he shook his head.

"Fine." He spat, turning to the flap of the tent and walking out. She walked out after him, calling his name desperately. She wanted him to stay, he was her last connection to Fred. She wanted him to stay for her, she had already lost everyone else, she couldn't lose him too.

"Ron! Please. Ron, come back. Ron!" She shouted desperately as he passed the wards she had set and disaparrated. She stopped in her tracks, he had really left. She stared at the empty forest for a long moment before turning back to the tent, to Harry. She walked slowly, their best friend had just left them. She entered the tent again, and picked up the locket.

"He's gone." She said softly, and Harry sighed as he snapped the book shut and slumped down onto the bench. He ran his hands through his hair before looking at her.

"I'm sorry." He said, and she shook her head. She was fighting tears, after everything they had been through and he just left. She walked over to an armchair and sat down heavily, already missing Ron and his familiarity.

"I'll take first watch." Harry said softly, standing and grabbing his wand from the table. He lingered for a moment, watching her, before leaving the tent.


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: Heyyyyy all! I have quite a bit planned out for this, so the chapters should be coming more regularly. So enjoy the chapter! This one is a bit slow, but I'm thinking of doing the next chapter from Fred's point of view? Give me your wonderfull opinions! I want to know what you want! I really want this story to be one of those long ones that people know, people talk about. I want to be Fanfiction famous! Haha, no seriously though. Opinions. I want them. i want them all. Please. Anyway, much love from me to you- Bookworm

* * *

 _Fred,_

 _I can't believe it, but Ron left. He got mad, because we really don't know where to go from here. We have no way to destroy the horcruxes, no idea what the rest of them are. We are lost and stuck. We didn't move for almost a week, we hoped that Ron would come back. But he didn't. So we had to move on. I suppose it's up to Harry and I now. Although I'm not sure what exactly we are going to do._

 _Harry wants to go to Godric's Hallow. I know he wants too see his parents. And really, we don't have any other leads. Harry has a good argument, but what if it's a stupid move? Is it too obvious? I think it is._

 _There's snow on the ground, there has been for a while. It's a good thing that this tent has a fireplace, otherwise we would probably freeze to death. I have no idea what the date is, we stopped sneaking into towns to get food when we saw a few death eaters. Luckily we were under Harry's invisibility cloak. It's gotten to risky to do anything really. Except try to research, read everything I can on what we could be looking for. But I really have no idea. How could Dumbledore leave this to Harry? How could he do that to him. I know that we are both of age, but we are barely adults. And we are responsible for the destruction of Voldemort. How does that make sense Fred? Why did he do this to us? I have no answers, it's extremely frustrating. I hate this, and I miss you so much._

 _With Love,_

 _Hermione_

It had been weeks, maybe even longer than a month since Ron had left. Hermione was kicking herself for not keeping a calendar. She really had no idea what the date was, or even what day it was. She knew that it was winter. She and Harry had been forced to steal some winter coats off of a back porch of a house. She had left some gold for the owners, but she knew that it wasn't right still. But they couldn't always burn a fire. They could only burn a fire when they were sure that the smoke wouldn't be seen by anyone. They had to be secluded enough to not be noticed. She and Harry had been talking about the next steps to take, and they were at an odds.

"Hermione please. We have no idea where to go now. Why not Godric's Hallow? It has meaning to him too, it's where he almost died. He could have hidden one there." It was the same argument every time, and Hermione was out of arguments now.

"Okay." She said with a sigh, and watched as Harry's mouth fell open. "I have to admit… It's a possibility. We should go." She finally agreed. Harry's eyes lit up, and she sighed again. "Harry. I know you want to go to see your parents, but we have to be careful." She said, he face sobered and he nodded.

"Of course." He agreed.

Hermione had managed to get a couple hairs from muggles in a nearby town, and had insisted that if they were going to Godric's Hallow, they would have to drink polyjuice. Harry had put up a fight about it until he realized that Hermione wouldn't budge from the issue. Hermione had also asked that they be under the cloak, just in case, but Harry had insisted that they not be. He didn't want to visit his parents invisible.

It was Christmas eve, as they walked by a small church they could hear the service and the congregation singing. Harry paused just outside of the church, staring at a statue wide wide eyes.

"Hermione." He whispered. She walked to his side, and stared up at the statue. It changed slowly, almost shimmering into a different statue. It was the Potter family, and a small plaque that commemorated them. She reached out and gently took Harry's hand, she was sure that this would be a lot to take in. He took a deep breath and swiped a tear from his face before nodding. They moved together to the small graveyard that sat adjacent to the church.

Hermione started looking at graves as Harry wandered in a different direction, they moved slowly as they looked at each grave, searching for the Potter's resting place. Hermione paused at a grave covered in snow, she knelt down and swiped of the snow. Underneath her fingers were an odd symbol, something that she had seen before in a book somewhere.

"Harry?" She called out softly. She heard him walk quickly over to her through the leaves and snow, his feet making slight crunching sounds with each step.

"Did you find them?" He asked softly as he reached her.

"No, look at this. This symbol." She said, pointing down to it. Harry looked at it and then his eyes flicked to the name.

"Peverell? Where do I know that name…" Harry muttered. Hermione looked to the graves next to the one she sat and pointed.

"Harry, I think this is a family graveyard." She said. He gazed around, and nodded.

"So they are my family?" He asked, and she shrugged a little.

"Maybe, somewhere down the line." She said. "Let's keep looking." She said, and he nodded a little before walking away slowly. They continued to search in silence for a few minutes, until Hermione found what they were looking for.

"Harry. I found them." She called out softly. She didn't need to be loud, the snow had seemed to muffle the earth. He was only a couple rows away, and rushed over. He stood next to her for a moment before getting down on his knees. Hermione placed a gentle hand on his shoulder as he reached out and touched the marble stone. She held up her wand, and drawing a circle in the air, made a wreath of flowers appear against the grey stone. He smiled up and her, giving her a silent thank you, as he straightened up.

They stood arm in arm for a long moment, Hermione's head resting on his shoulder. Suddenly, the hair on the back of her neck seemed to stand on edge and she slowly looked around. She didn't see anyone, but she felt like someone was watching them.

"Harry… We need to move." She said, and he nodded. He looked at the grave for another moment before they turned and made their way out of the graveyard. They walked down the road a little ways before stopping suddenly at the sight of a half destroyed house. Hermione took in a sharp breath at the sight as they took a few more steps toward the fence that outlined the house. Harry placed a hand on the gate that led to the house, and jumped slightly as a stone plaque appeared in front of them. It commemorated the Potters, and mentioned Harry as well. Hermione's eyes went to the graffiti that adorned the plaque, wishing luck to Harry, and smiled.

She turned to look at Harry, and noticed that someone was watching them just down the road. Her heart thumped against her chest before she remembered that they were disguised. They were also staring at a house that, as the plaque also stated, was supposed to be invisible to muggles.

"Harry, someone's watching us." She whispered. He turned his head slowly, looking at the woman who had now begun a slow wobble in their direction.

"It's fine… We don't look like us." He whispered.

"For now." She pointed out, and he nodded. "We're also looking at your old house, while disguised as muggles Harry." She whispered as the woman got closer. Harry stayed put as Hermione took a step back.

"Hermione.. wait." He said, staring at the woman who had just reached them. Hermione stared at the woman, before realizing that she recognized her.

"Harry, that's Bathilda Bagshot. She wrote Hogwarts: A History." She whispered. Realization seemed to dawn on Harry's face, but Hermione had a feeling that it wasn't because Harry knew that she had written the book.

"You knew Dumbledore." Harry said, and the woman nodded. "Do… Did he give you something to give to me?" Harry asked, and the woman nodded again.

"Harry, Harry please. Let's just go." Hermione asked, something about the woman left her unsettled. Just as she said it, Bathilda raised her hand and beckoned for them to follow her. Hermione tugged on Harry's arm, but he started following the woman.

"Harry." She hissed at him.

"Hermione. She knew Dumbledore. What if he gave her the sword?" Harry asked her, and she bit her lip before nodding in agreement. They follwed after her in silence, Hermione wary about following her. Before long, they were inside her house and she was beckoning for Harry to follow her up the stairs. Hermione started to follow, but Harry held up a hand.

"I think she just wants me to go." He said.

"I don't like this Harry." Hermione said, shaking her head.

"Hermione, it'll be fine." He replied as he followed her up the creaky steps.

Hermione looked around the room, seeing a bookshelf and walking over to it. She ran her fingers over the volumes, listening the the footsteps above her head as Harry and Bathilda moved about upstairs. She saw a book that she had read about months ago in the Daily Prophet, and picked it up. The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore, she scoffed as she saw Rita Skeeter's name, and flipped open the cover. A note fell out, it thanked Bathilda for her help with writting it. Hermione tucked the note back into the book before setting it back down onto the shelf. She thought for a moment before picking it back up and shrinking it, sticking it into her pocket. Hermione walked around the room, looking at the different photographs and objects around the room, until she heard a shout and crash from up the stairs.

She ran up the stairs, knocking over stacks of books, blankets and other things as she ran. She quickly found the room that Harry was in, and couldn't stifle the scream at the sight of a large snake rearing back to attack Harry. She began to throw jinxes and curses at it as she struggled to get around the room, desperate to just get to Harry and get out. She tripped over a shoe and fell right next to Harry, who grabbed her arm and gripped tightly, his face screwed up in pain. He let out a shout, dropping his wand and putting a hand over his scar. Without thinking, Hermione grabbed his wand with her wand hand before shooting a spell at the snake that lunged at them and apparating away.

She gasped as they landed, she had landed on her back and it had knocked the wind out of her. She could feel Harry's hand in hers, and she squeezed it. She heard him gasping for breath as well, and she shut her eyes tight for a moment before slowly sitting up. She felt the wands in her hand, and looked down. She gasped as she saw that Harry's was snapped in half. She looked over to him, hoping that he hadn't seen, before gently putting it into her pocket. Harry was unconscious, but breathing, so she threw up some wards around them before pulling out the tent and throwing a spell to set it quickly. As soon as it was set, she lifted her wand and moved Harry into the tent and set a fire. She remembered that he had been wearing the locket, and pulled the collar of his shirt down to grab it. She pulled, but the locket seemed to be glued to his skin. It was warm, and she realized that it had melted some of the skin on his chest. She gagged slightly as the skin pulled with the locket. She released the locket and covered her mouth with her hand, unsure what to do. She thought about it for a moment before pulling in a breath to calm herself and lifting her wand.

"I'm sorry." She muttered before casting a severing charm. He immediately began to bleed, and she pulled the locket off, tossing it to the side, before summoning the dittany. There wasn't much left, they would need to be more carefull until she was able to get some more. She unstoppered the bottle and put a small amount onto his chest, enough to make the bleeding stop. She then muttered a healing charm to help before sitting back on her heels and taking in a deep breath. She stuck her hand into her pocket and pulled out the pieces of Harry's wand and the shrunken book. She placed the pieces of the wand on the table before she enlarged the book and went outside with a blanket. She sat with her back against a tree, a jar of bluebell flames in her blanket-covered lap. She opened the book and began to read, wishing that she was back in the Hogwarts library instead of the forest.


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: So, I got one response saying they would like a chapter from Fred's POV, and I really wanted to write it, so here we are. A chapter from Fred. So, according to Harry Potter Wiki, Lee Jordan started Potterwatch, but I changed it. So.. yup. Just so everyone is aware, I will be bumping up the rating on this story, it's gonna get a little darker. So keep an eye out. Please enjoy. Much Love- Bookworm

He tried to look on the bright side of things, he always did. Having to close the shop had put him in a state though. He and George both handled it about the same, they hid away in their room at the Burrow for a couple weeks. They only showed their faces at mealtimes, and they were quiet even then.

They had been forced to leave their shop when Death Eaters began to evict and kidnap shop owners. They had tried to hold out as long as they could, but when Florean Fortescue's shop had been torn apart one night, they decided it was time. They had packed all of their things in the middle of the night and had been sure to not leave a trace of themselves there. They had been forced to leave their experiments, it had been a close call when their charmed wards had alerted them that someone had just come into the shop. They took it on good faith that it wasn't anyone friendly, and had apparated away back to the Burrow.

Luckily for them, George had a brilliant idea while flicking through stations on a muggle radio one day in his father's shed. He came thundering up to their room, slamming the door open and interrupting Fred staring at the ceiling. He had a mischievous look in his eyes, and he was smiling for the first time in weeks.

"Fred. Get your arse out of bed." He said happily. Fred groaned and sat up.

"What?" He asked, taking in his brother's face and sighing.

"I have an idea." George said, bounding to the bed and sitting next to his twin.

"An idea?" Fred asked him, and he nodded enthusiastically.

"I was listening to that radio thing that dad has in the shed. Muggles have something called talk shows. A group of people give the news, tell jokes." George told him. Fred rubbed his face with one hand and let out a sight.

"What are you on about Georgie?" Fred asked, and George groaned.

"We should do something like that! A talk show. We can give people the real news, not just what they're reading in the Prophet. We all know that's shite anyway." George said, and Fred's interest was slightly peaked. "We could have code names, so nobody would know who we really are. We could ask dad for help. We could get a few other people too, ask the Order maybe?" He suggested. Fred tilted his head, thinking about the proposition.

"I think… We need Lee." Fred said, and George jumped off of the bed with a shout of glee.

"Hello listeners. And welcome to another broadcasting of Potterwatch. This is your host, River. As usual, we are in an undisclosed location. We ask that all of our listeners take a moment of silence as we read off our list of confirmed missing and deceased." Lee said, as he picked up a piece of parchment and began to read.

Fred heard the names, but didn't listen. The list had grown longer and longer between their broadcasts, and it had become too painful to listen to the list every time. He fiddled with the bottom of his shirt until the familiar last three names.

"... Ron Weasley, Harry Potter…" There was another long pause where Lee looked up to Fred, who was staring at him intently. Fred nodded once, and Lee glanced away from him. "Hermione Granger." He said.

They had been on the list every week, as had a couple other missing persons. They only had one lead on the trio, and that was the next order of business.

"Royal, over to you for an update on our infamous trio." Lee said, nodding to Kingsley.

"We have a report that Potter, Weasley and Granger broke into the ministry of magic." He said, and everyone around the table stared at him in shock.

"Did you say the ministry?" Fred asked.

"Yes Rapier, you heard that right. They broke into the ministry. According to reliable sources, they stole two items before escaping and disappearing again." He said.

"Do we have any ideas as to what was stolen?" Remus Lupin asked.

"Well Romulus, according to my sources, it seems a personal locket directly off of Madame Umbridge, and an unknown item from her office. Though this was months ago, I only just found out." Kingsley replied.

"If I recall correctly, Umbridge taught at Hogwarts for a year, didn't she?" Lupin asked.

"That's correct Romulus, and she was a right toad the whole time." Lee said brightly.

"Are we speculating that this is some sort of vendetta break in?" Fred asked, amused.

"Well Rapier, perhaps they just wanted her locket and found something extra. Maybe Miss Granger just wanted something pretty." Lee teased, making Fred laugh.

"As always, you are probably right River." Fred said, although he knew that it wasn't true.

"I know." Lee said, before looking at Lupin. "Now Romulus, I believe you said you had some news?" Lee asked, raising an eyebrow at Lupin, who nodded.

"Yes, thank you River. We are saddened to announce the death of the esteemed author, Bathilda Bagshot. Order members have reported that her body had been riddled with traces of dark magic, and when they had found her she had probably been dead for weeks." Lupin said, and there was a slight intake of breath at the news.

"Merlin…" Lee said, looking down at the table. "That's horrible…" He said. Everyone around the table nodded in agreement, and they remained silent for a moment. Lee cleared his throat and looked around the table, and everyone gave a nod.

"Well, that's all the time that we have for today. Anyone have any last words?" He asked, and Fred lifted a finger. He took a breath and closed his eyes.

"My Otter, if you are listening… I'm proud of you. I love you. Make sure to kick some Death Eater ass for me." He said. He had said something for her at the end of every broadcast, and had given her the code name Otter, after her patronus.

"Listeners, that brings us to the end of another Potterwatch. We don't know when it will be possible to broadcast again, but you can be sure we shall be back. Keep twiddling those dials: the next password will be 'Mad-Eye'. Keep each other safe. Keep faith. Good night." Lee said, before flicking his wand and ending the broadcast. Lee had been the brains behind everything, he knew how everything ran.

When Fred and George had told Lee about their idea, he had jumped on it and had almost immediately had a plan for them. They had agreed that Lee should be in charge, and Fred and George switched on and off for who would be in the broadcast. It started with George, then Fred, then George again. Otherwise, because they sounded so similar, listeners might think that it was one person talking to themselves.

Fred stood from the table with everyone else, and said goodbye to everyone before he apparated away back to the Burrow. He landed in his and George's room, making his twin jump slightly at the pop that signaled his arrival. He pushed his hair out of his face, neither of them had cut their hair in a while, and it had gotten too long. He hugged his twin briefly in greeting before nodding to the muggle radio they had moved into their room.

"Did you listen?" Fred asked.

"Of course I did. They broke into the ministry?" He asked, and Fred nodded. "That's insane. Why would they do that?" George asked, and Fred shrugged his shoulders.

"I have no idea. They stole a locket and something else. No idea what the other thing was, but they took the locket right off of Umbridge." Fred said.

"Wait, off her? Actually off her?" George asked, and Fred nodded. "That's bloody insane." George said.

"I know… What in the world would they want with a locket?" Fred muttered. They stared at each other for a moment before George spoke again.

"I know you're worried." He said, and Fred looked down at the ground.

"You are too." He muttered, and George sighed.

"Yeah. I am. How could I not be? Its… Hermione." He said. "And Ron and Harry." He added as an after thought.

"Hermione…" Fred said, he slowly made his way to his bed and crawled under the covers.

"Fred, please don't do this." George said softly. Fred felt him sit down next to him on the bed, and pulled the covers tighter around him. He felt George's hand rest on his shoulder, and he closed his eyes.

"George, I just want to sleep.." He said. He heard a sigh right before George stood from the mattress.

"Okay Freddie…" He said. A moment later, Fred heard the door open and close. He took a deep breath, and willed sleep to overtake him. He had been overcome with an overwhelming need to sleep, he was just exhausted. He didn't want to think about where Hermione, Ron, and Harry were. He didn't want to think about if they were safe, he just didn't want to think.

He knew that George was worried about him, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't bring himself to be back to his normal self. The state of the world right now, both magical and muggle, was appalling. Voldemort and his followers were destroying both worlds, kidnapping and killing both magical and muggle people alike. Fred spent days wondering how the world had come to this, months wondering if it was all worth it, and he still didn't have an answer for himself.

Hermione was in front of him, laughing. He smiled and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. They were in their secret spot of Hogwarts, behind a tapestry. Hermione was leaning against the wall, her cloak had been tossed on her bag that lay on the ground. Fred stepped closer to her and ducked his head, catching her lips with his.

Her arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him flush against her. Fred had one hand wrapped around her, holding her tight, and the other hand rest on the wall behind her. They kissed heatedly for a long moment until Hermione pulled her lips away from his.

"Fred. We have to go to class, the bell rang already." Hermione said, smiling sweetly at him.

"No…" He said, moving his lips to her jawline. "Let's skiv off class." He said, his lips moving against her soft skin. She laughed lightly, shrugging away from him slightly.

"Fred that tickles." She said breathlessly. He hummed a little as he continued to pepper gentle kisses on her jaw and cheek. "Fred…" She said, weakly attempting to push him away. "We have to go to class." She said again. Fred groaned and pulled away. He gazed at her for a moment, a smile creeping onto his lips.

"Okay. Let's go to class then." He said. "How many points do you think we'll lose for being late?" He asked conversationally. Hermione's eyes went wide, and she bit her lip. "On the other hand, if we skiv off, we'll probably just get detention." He said, lifting an eyebrow. He watched as Hermione thought for a long moment.

"Okay. Let's skiv." She said with a sigh, and Fred grinned before kissing her again.

"Fred, it's dinnertime." George said, shaking Fred's shoulder. "Wake up Freddie." He said, and Fred groaned as he opened his eyes.

"No." He said, his eyes wide. "No… nononono. Let me go back to sleep." He muttered, shutting his eyes.

"No, Fred you have to go eat dinner." George said.

"Let me see her!" Fred said, and George withdrew his hand from Fred's shoulder.

"What?" He whispered, furrowing his brow.

"Hermione! Let me see her." Fred said, squeezing his eyes tighter. "I just want to see her…" He said, his voice breaking. "Why did you wake me up?" He asked furiously as he sat up. George's mouth opened, presumably to answer him, but Fred didn't want to hear it.

"You took her away. She was right in front of me. In my arms. My Hermione… Get out." He said, glaring at his twin. "Get out. Leave me alone." He said through clenched teeth. George stood, shocked, and turned to leave. He took a few steps toward the door but stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"No. I'm not leaving you alone. I love you Freddie. You can't keep doing this to yourself. I know you love her, I know you miss her. I do too. But you can't do this anymore. You are killing yourself Fred." George said, walking back over toward the bed. He grabbed the blankets and pulled them off of Fred, tossing them to the floor.

"Fred. She wouldn't want you to do this. It's Hermione. She wants you to be happy, she doesn't want you to sleep yourself into the grave. You know that. She loves you Fred, it would kill her to know that you were doing this to yourself." George said, and Fred nodded as tears rolled from his eyes and onto his cheeks.

"I miss her." He said, and George nodded.

"I know you do. I miss her too. I'm so sorry that this is happening Freddie. I'm so sorry." George said, pulling Fred into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry Fred." He muttered as he held his twin.

"I want her home." Fred whispered, and George nodded.

"I know." George muttered.


	29. Chapter 29

A/N: I hope you like this chapter! It took a couple days for me to figure it out. Please R&R! Much Love- Bookworm

Hermione read the book that she had stolen from Bathilda Bagshot's house, and was furious at Rita Skeeter for what she had written. She knew that a lot of what was in the book wasn't true, but she also feared that some of it was. She had a feeling that Harry wouldn't like anything that was written in the book. He had told her on more than one occasion that he felt like Dumbledore had sent them on an impossible mission, and that maybe he didn't know the man at all.

Harry was still unconscious in the tent, so Hermione read while she waited for him to get up. She only stopped reading when she noticed something odd in the book. It was the same symbol that she had seen on the grave the night before. She had no idea what it could be, but she had stopped reading at a picture of a letter Dumbledore had written, and he had signed his name with the strange symbol. Just as she began to read again, she heard Harry stirring in the tent. She closed the book and waited for him to come outside. She watched her breath in the cold air until Harry emerged. He was rubbing his scar, and sat down next to her.

"Feeling alright?" Hermione asked, staring at him as he sighed.

"Yeah. I think so." He said, nodding and looking around them. "Hermione, where are we?" He asked, furrowing his brow.

"Forrest of Dean." She said, looking around at the snow-covered trees that were all around them. "I used to come camping here with mum and dad." She said, smiling a little. "It's the first place I thought of. It's so peaceful here." She said. He looked around, his eyebrows raised a little, before nodding.

"Hermione, I couldn't find my wand. Did you grab it?" Harry asked suddenly, and Hermione bit her lip.

"Yes. I have it." She said softly.

"Great, can I have it?" Harry asked, and she shook her head.

"I'm so sorry Harry. I tried to fix it." She said, digging into her pocket and pulling out his broken wand and holding it gingerly out to him. Harry stared at the broken wand for a minute before slowly reaching out and taking it from her hand.

"What happened?" He asked her. His voice was eerily calm, and it unnerved her a little.

"I can't be sure. I think that it was right before I apparated us away, I had both of our wands in one hand. I tried to curse the snake but I think it rebounded and hit your wand instead of mine." Hermione explained, playing with the cover of the book in her lap.

"Well… Just mend it." Harry said, holding it out to her.

"Harry, I tried. Believe me, I tried. Remember in second year, Ron broke his wand? McGonagall said that it couldn't be fixed with a simple spell. That he would have to get another one." Hermione explained, and Harry looked angry for a long moment before nodding.

"I'll just use yours then." Harry said. Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Of course." She said softly, and he stared at the book in her lap.

"What's that?" He asked her, and she kept her hand on the cover for a moment, attempting to shield it from his view, before lifting it and holding it out for him to look at.

"The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore?" He asked, disgust dripping in his voice. "Good read?" He asked, tossing it back to her. She caught it and rolled her eyes.

"I'm not reading it for fun Harry. I found it at Bathilda's house. Might be nice to know what people are saying and thinking of the man who sent us on this mission in the first place, don't you think?" She asked, and Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose." He said, standing and putting his wand into his pocket.

"I found something in it." She said, and he looked at her with his full attention again. She flipped through the pages until she found the letter that Dumbledore had written. She turned the book around and held it out to him. He grabbed it and read it over before raising his brows and looking at Hermione.

"What am I looking at? It's a letter." He asked her, and she sighed.

"Yes. Look at the signature Harry." She said. He peered down at the page again and his brow furrowed. "He signed his name with that symbol. It looks like an eye." She said, and Harry tapped the page with a finger before speaking.

"I've seen this before." He said.

"Yes. The graveyard." She said, and he shook his head.

"No, before that. I saw this at the wedding. Xenophilius Lovegood was wearing it around a chain. Krum said that it was the symbol of a dark wizard that had gone to school at Durmstrang." Harry said, and Hermione furrowed her brow.

"Why would Xenophilius Lovegood wear the symbol of a dark wizard?" Hermione asked, confused. Harry shrugged and handed the book back to her. "Wait, Harry was it Grindewald?" She asked, and he nodded.

"They were friends." He said softly, pointing at the book, and Hermione nodded. "What was the whole thing about 'for the greater good?" Harry asked after a moment, and Hermione shrugged.

"I don't know Harry." She said, and they lapsed into a silence.

They agreed to stay in the Forest of Dean for a little longer, as they had no leads on where to go next or even what to do next. They occupied there time with silence, they didn't speak much. They would both read, take watch outside, or sleep. They moved around inside the forest itself, even leaving it briefly, just so they didn't stay in one place too long.

It was at one of these moments, when they weren't in the forest but rather they were somewhere on the coast, that Hermione saw the strange symbol again. It was inside of her copy of Tales of Beedle the Bard that Hermione had received from Dumbledore. She had brought it to the attention of Harry, but he had just shrugged and brushed her off.

One night, Hermione guessed that it was sometime in February, Harry insisted on taking the night watch. Hermione had asked over and over again if he was sure, as they typically switched off sometime in the night so the other could get some rest. Harry had insisted however, stating that she had been on watch most of the day and had caught them fish from a nearby stream for dinner that night. They were back in the Forest of Dean, knowing that it was safe for them to be.

Hermione hadn't been able to sleep until the very early hours of the morning, she had been thinking a lot about their next move. Unfortunately, she wasn't asleep very long. She was startled awake by shouting. She jumped out of the bed and threw on a jumper before she walked outside, ready to defend herself. She had been practicing a small amount of wandless magic, and she was confident that she would be able to cast a few charms. Fortunately, Harry was grinning ear to ear as he walked quickly toward the tent. She stepped outside of the wards, allowing him to see her so that they could get back to the tent.

"Why are you shouting?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. Harry turned his head, glancing behind him, then stepped to the side and allowing her to see past him. Ron was walking behind him, and her eyes immediately went to his hands where he was holding a long sword and the locket. Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms at him.

"Ron's here." Harry said, stating the obvious for her.

"I see that." She said, letting the venom drip off of her voice.

"Hey." Ron said weakly, waving a little with his free hand. Hermione took a few steps forward before launching herself at Ron.

"You come back after weeks! And all you have to say is 'Hey'?" She shouted, punctuating each word with a fist contacting with some part of his body. A rucksack fell from Ron's shoulder, and she grabbed it off of the ground. She used the shoulder strap to swing it at him, satisfied when it came into contact with his side. "You absolute arse Ronald!" She said, throwing the bag down and staring at him, breathing heavily. He was staring at her with an incredulous look on his face.

"Hermione-" Harry began, and she spun on him.

"My wand Harry. Give me my wand." She demanded, stopping toward him. He took a few steps away from her, his eyes full of terror.

"Why does he have your wand?" Ron asked, confused.

"Nevermind why he has my wand!" Hermione snarled at him before looking down again at what he held in his hands. "And what is that?" She asked, pointing. He held the sword and locket up, the locket was a charred broken mess, and the sword glinted in the moonlight.

"I killed it." Ron said simply.

"And how is it you just so happened to have the Sword of Gryffindor?" She asked, glaring at him.

"Actually. I found it." She heard Harry say, and she turned to him.

"What?" She spat out, and he nodded.

"I found it in a pond. Ron actually saved me. I went into the pond and the locket kept me under. It wouldn't let me surface, but Ron was able to pull me out." Harry explained. "And then he destroyed the locket." Harry added, glancing at Ron from the corner of his eye. Hermione looked at Ron again, her eyes wide, and he held up the charred locket once more.

"You… You destroyed it?" She asked, and he nodded. "I'm going to bed." Hermione said, letting out a sigh and turning away from him. She walked back into where the wards began, and she was again able to see the tent. She heard Harry and Ron following behind her, whispering silently. She was exhausted and didn't want to deal with Ron being back at the moment.

About a week later, Hermione overheard Ron and Harry speaking to each other, and she silently listened in on them. She was curious as to what Ron had been up to, and where he had been.

"They're called snatchers. They round up muggleborns and take them to the ministry for questioning on their blood status. I think they get a gold reward too, but I'm not sure. A group of them caught up to me in a muggle alleyway. Oh! You said you needed a wand, right? I got this one off of one of the snatchers. He was part troll for sure by the smell of him." He was telling Harry, who laughed lightly. She heard Harry cast a charm and a light shout.

"What's going on in there?" She asked from her place at the opening of the tent.

"Nothing!" She heard Harry shout back, and she shook her head and sighed.

It was nearing the end of her watch shift, when Ron walked outside. He was holding a radio in one hand, and looking nervous as he approached her. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he held up his free hand in a gesture of peace.

"I want you to listen to something." He told her. She stared at him for a moment before nodding. He took a seat on the ground next to her, and turned up the volume on the radio. Immediately, she was stunned.

"-Has been taken from his shop in Diagon Alley. Our own Royal went and saw the shop for himself, and it does appear like he gave the Death Eaters quite a struggle." She heard the familiar voice say. Her hand flew up to her mouth as her eyes went wide. She couldn't be sure if it was Fred or George, they sounded so similar and she had never heard them over the radio.

"Correct Rapier. When I reached the shop, I knew that he had been kidnapped. His shop was torn to pieces, and broken wands were everywhere. It was a sad sight, and unfortunately there are no leads to where he is." She heard, and she looked to Ron, and Harry who had just joined them.

"Is that Kingsley?" Harry asked, and she nodded.

"Wherever you are Ollivander, stay strong. Don't let them break you. We are all standing behind you." She heard a voice say.

"Lee." She sighed, smiling.

"Romulus, you said you had a bit of news?" Lee asked.

"Correct. I urge all of our listeners to subscribe to the magazine The Quibbler. The editor Xenophilius Lovegood is an avid supporter of Harry Potter, so we must show him our support as well." The voice they recognized as Remus Lupin said. They were all smiling to each other, thankful to be hearing the familiar voices of their friends.

"Thank you Romulus. Before we sign off, any last messages?" Lee asked, and Hermione noted that Ron moved his gaze to look at her.

"Thank you River. I have a final message for my Otter. We haven't heard anything about you in a long time, and it makes me worry. I know we would have heard about you if you had been found, so for the first time I'm glad there's no news. Make sure to kick some Death Eater ass if you run into any, alright love?" Hermione's previous confusion about whether it was Fred or George was finally decided. That voice coming from the radio was Fred Weasley. Ron gave her a small smile and Hermione smiled back.

"I can't believe that they are doing that. What if they get caught?" Hermione asked, suddenly worried. Ron waved his hand at her, and shook his head.

"They move where they are doing the show every time, and they make a new password. You never know when the next broadcast will be." He explained, putting his ear close to the radio so he could catch the next password. Hermione bit her lip nervously and nodded. She stood, feeling very tired now.

"I think I'm going to go lay down." Hermione said. She walked into the tent and quickly laid down on the bed. She pulled the covers tightly around her and closed her eyes, wishing that she was with Fred instead of in a tent in the middle of a forest.


	30. Chapter 30

A/N: Hellooooo Everyone! Thank you so much for your patience with me on this chapter. It took me a long while to get a chapter out on my other story, and so I had to put a small hold on getting this chapter out, but I really do hope that you enjoy it. I went back and forth between Hermione and Fred in this chapter, trying to switch it up a little and give insight as to what is happening with them both at the point in time. Anyways, enjoy the newest chapter of A Whole New World! There's still a lot left for me to get down, so please enjoy and continue being patient with me! Much Love- Bookworm

"Hermione, I have been thinking. I want to go see Xenophilius Lovegood." Harry told her one evening. She sighed and closed her book, and nodded.

"I've been thinking the same the same thing Harry. It's the only thing that makes sense. That eye symbol, it keeps cropping up. Maybe we can get some idea of where to go next." Hermione said. Ron had been listening intently, and hopped out of his chair that sat in the corner.

"That's a good idea. Let's put it to a vote." He suggested. Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, but he ignored it. "Everyone in favor?" He asked, raising his hand. Harry and Hermione shared an amused glance before they both walked away, Hermione making her way outside. She leaned back against a tree and let out a deep breath, watching her breath fog in the chill.

Ron had been getting on her nerves, though she supposed that it could just be that she and Harry had gotten so used to being on their own. It also annoyed her that he seemed to agree with anything that she said, no matter how stupid it really was. On the other hand, he had brought Potterwatch to their attention, giving her a chance to hear Fred, which she was beyond grateful for.

They decided to pack up their camp not long after, seeing no more reason to stay. Hermione was nervous to be leaving, even though she knew that they couldn't stay there any longer. She liked that they were safe, that they weren't in the open and in danger like they would be while moving about without wards. They had just finished packing when she realized that she had no idea where the Lovegoods lived.

"Harry, you don't happen to know where Luna lives, do you?" She asked, knowing it was a long shot.

"Erm.." Harry replied, apparently realizing the same thing.

"I do." Ron piped up, grinning at her. She raised her eyebrows at him, surprised.

"You do?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Well, sort of. Whenever mum would mention them, she would wave to the hills nearby. I'm sure they live there, they walked to the wedding after all." He said. Hermione looked skeptically at Harry, who shrugged.

"It's our best shot." He said, and she let out a sigh.

"Fine. You'll have to apparate us, are you able to?" Hermione asked Ron, who nodded. "Okay." She sighed, holding her hand out to him in the clearing that had been their campground. He took her hand hesitantly before reaching out and grasping Harry's hand. He gave her hand a small squeeze, and she sucked in a deep breath before they were pulled up.

* * *

"Please Fred. You have to get up and eat something. It's almost noon." George said, and Fred let out a loud groan.

"Please George… Please just leave me alone. I'm really tired." Fred said. He had been exceptionally exhausted lately despite not doing anything but speaking on Potterwatch. Even after George had forced him up, he only wanted to sleep. He wanted time to pass by, and he didn't care if he was awake for it.

"Fred. Please get up. Mum wants to cut our hair." George said, and with a heavy sigh Fred threw his legs over the side of the bed.

"Can I come back to bed if I do?" Fred asked, frowning at his twin.

"Sorry brother, I lost my wand. I need you to take me to P-watch." George said, giving Fred a smile.

"Okay." Fred said, defeated, as he pulled on his trainers and following George down the stairs. George forced him to eat a couple biscuits while his mother cut Fred's hair. He nibbled on the biscuits as he watched the red hair fall around his chair, impressed at how much his hair had grown. Hermione wouldn't have liked it, he and Fred had grown their hair out their sixth year and she had told him he had been pushing it. Fred smiled at the thought, and when his mother paused in her cutting, he looked up at George. He was also smiling, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched Fred.

"What?" George asked when he noticed Fred looking at him.

"Hermione would have hated it. She probably would have said that we looked like Gin." Fred said, and George laughed loudly.

"She would have said that soon enough it would get as curly as hers." George added,making Fred laugh as well. Too soon, their laughter died though their smiles remained. Fred heard a sniff behind him, and spun in his chair to see his mum wiping tears off of her cheeks. Without thinking, Fred stood and wrapped her in his arms.

"It's okay mum." He muttered, and she nodded.

"Oh it's so silly. I worry so much about them though." She said as they parted, and Fred gave her a small smile.

"They'll be fine mum." Fred reassured her.

They quickly finished up with their haircuts, and made sure to give their mum a kiss on the cheek before they left to Potterwatch. When they arrived, it was immediately noticed that Kingsley was absent. George took his seat around the table, and immediately asked if something had happened.

"Not sure." Lupin said, concern decorating his face. "But we should just start, say that he might join us later." He suggested, and Lee nodded.

"Hello, and welcome to another episode of Potterwatch…" Lee started, and Fred decided to close his eyes and tune out the broadcast.

He must have dozed off, because the next moment he was startled to his feet by a shout.

"Ki-"George started.

"Royal!" Lee shouted out over George, as they were still on air. "Erm… Royal has just landed, and we may have to cut off. Keep twiddling those-" Lee began to sign off in a hasty manner, but Kingsley held up his hand, looking pissed off.

"No." He said, and Fred was terrified by the sound of his voice. "Lovegood has betrayed Potter. He tried to hand him over to Death Eaters. To all of our listeners out there…." Kingsley trailed off, gathering his thoughts. "We will not hesitate to take down anyone who puts Potter in danger. Our top priority is helping him, doing everything on our end to make sure he is able to destroy You-Know-Who. According to our intel, Luna Lovegood has been taken hostage by the Death Eaters. I know it's hard to hear, but lives will be lost. I could die, you could die. The way I see it, they are casualties of war, and I would be more than happy to lay down my life for Potter. Do not misunderstand, we are at war here. This isn't a game, and treating it as such will cost more lives. Be careful, stay vigilant." Kingsley said, sitting heavily in his chair and letting out a sigh. There was a shocked silence for a moment before Lee realized that they were still airing and he hastily signed off.

"Thank you for listening. The next password will be… Luna." Lee said before swishing his wand over his head and cutting off the broadcast.

"He… What?" Fred asked, his mind reeling.

"Apparently, they were in his house. He had made a deal to hand Potter over if he could get his daughter back." Kingsley said. Fred's brow furrowed and he looked up at his brother, who also looked confused.

"Why would they be at the Lovegood's?" George asked, and suddenly Fred had a realization. He gasped and grabbed George's hand before apparating them away. He landed just outside the Burrow, and sprinted toward the door.

"Fred!" George bellowed out angrily. "What the bloody hell was that?" He asked, but Fred ignored him and burst though the door.

"Hermione?" He yelled, running deeper into the house. "Hermione!?" He shouted, his throat burning from his volume.

"Fred? Why are you shouting?" His mum asked as she ran into the room.

"Mum, where are they? I know they came here. They had to have." Fred said frantically. He darted up the stairs, ignoring the shouts of his twin. He checked every room in the house, even the attic that had the ghoul, before coming to the realization that they weren't there. They had been so close, just over the hill. His chest became tight as his back hit the wall, and he felt his legs collapse under him. He didn't hear the feet running up the stairs, or George saying his name when he saw his twin on the ground. His breath became to come out in shirt bursts, and tears threatened to spill onto his cheeks. They had been so close that he might have seen them if he looked out the window. He brought his knees to his chest, and closed his eyes tight as his chest wracked with sobs. He couldn't breath, he realized, opening his eyes wide in panic. He had forgotten how. George quickly realized his dilemma and sat down on the ground next to him, placing his palm on his back.

"Breath Freddie." He said gently, demonstrating. Fred stared at him, struggling with what seemed like the most natural thing. Fred focused intently on his breathing, and in just a few moments, he was breathing normally again.

"I thought…" He trailed off as new tears sprung into his eyes.

"I know Freddie… I know…" George said, pulling his twin into a tight hug.

* * *

"That-" Ron gasped in a breath, "bastard!" He yelled, leaning down and placing his hands on his knees. Hermione heard him, and was gasping for breath herself as she summoned the tent and placed a charm on it so that it pitched itself. She turned and quickly began to set wards in a circle around them.

"They have Luna." She heard Harry say just as she finished placing the wards. She turned to face Harry and Ron, and bit her lip.

"We… we can't worry about that. The whole reason that I made sure they saw Harry was so that hopefully they know Xenophilius wasn't lying." Hermione said slowly and carefully.

"About that, why did you cover me with the cloak?" Ron asked her. Harry nodded, also wanting to know the answer to that question. Hermione sighed and looked up at the sky, which she noted looked like it was going to rain.

"Ron, you're supposed to be ill with spattergoit. I'm only hoping that Lovegood doesn't tell them you were there too." Hermione explained. "If he does tell them, I don't know how much danger your family will be in…" She said, and Ron's mouth fell in realization. It took him a moment, but he cleared his throat and closed his mouth.

"Thank you." He said softly, and she nodded.

"Look, I think it's going to rain, we should get into the tent." Hermione said. The boys seemed to think that it was a good idea, and they led the way into the tent.

Once they were all sat down, Ron kicked his legs up onto the table and let out a sigh. Hermione had nicked some bread from Xenophilius' counter while they had been there, and she had cut it up for them to eat now. Ron was picking at a piece, but looked upset as he did so, which was unusual considering how much he loved to eat.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked him, noticing the same thing Hermione had.

"I can't believe we were so close to home." Ron said softly, staring intently down at the table. Hermione looked down at the table as well, she had been trying to avoid thinking about how close they had been to The Burrow.

"We couldn't Ron." Harry said, sparing Hermione the answer.

"Well why the blood hell not?" Ron asked, slamming a hand down on the table. "We could have just gone, to see that everyone was alright, and leave again." Ron said.

"Ronald." Hermione scolded, and he glared at her.

"We could have!" He yelled, and then it was her turn to slam a hand down.

"I couldn't have!" She said, angry tears pooling in her eyes. "I couldn't have left! Would you really have been able to?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowing. "Ron, we are doing the best we can here, and putting your family in danger wouldn't have helped at all." She told him, and visibly watched him deflate.

"I'm sorry Ron." She said softly, reaching across the table and grasping his hand.

"I just want to see them…." He said, and Hermione watched as Harry scooted himself over to his best friend and put an arm around him.

"I know you do." Harry said to him. "And we will, soon." He said, and Hermione nodded in agreement. They really needed a new lead on those horcruxes.

* * *

George burst into the room, slamming the door behind him and waving his wand at the door as he took a few bounding steps into the room. Fred stood from his desk chair quickly and drew his wand, though he wasn't sure why.

"Get your stuff." George said quickly, his eyes wide as he turned to face Fred. His mind raced to figure out why he would need to grab his things, but George threw a bag at him, disrupting his thoughts.

"George-" He started, ripping open a drawer of his dresser and throwing clothes into the bag.

"They came looking for Ron. They figured out that the ghoul wasn't him. We have to leave. We're meeting Mum and Dad at Muriel's." George said quickly, and Fred began to move faster. Before he knew it, George was yanking the bag from his hands and zipping it shut. "We have to go Freddie." He said, and Fred nodded.

He took one last glance around the room, and snatched up a framed photo of Hermione right before George spun them around and they were yanked into the abyss. They landed with a crash in their Aunt's garden, Fred was face down in the dirt and George had landed next to him. Their bags had landed on top of them, and it seemed like one of them had busted open and spilled around them. At the loud noise, Molly and Arthur had come running out of the house.

"Fred?! George?! Are you okay?" Molly asked as she reached them. Fred rolled over and sat up with a groan at the same time that George sat up, and they looked at eachother, grinning.

"All right Fred?" George asked, and Fred nodded.

"You George?" Fred asked, and George nodded as well. They both stood, and helped their mum clean up the clothes that had spilled out into the dirt. As soon as they were cleaned up, they were shown to their room and left alone by their parents. Fred sat down on one of the beds, claiming it as his own, and looked around the clean room they had taken up residence in.

"Welcome home Freddie." George said with a wink. Fred smiled and nodded.

"Hopefully not for too long though, remember how the old bat wrote us out of her will? Why would I want to stay long term with her?" Fred asked, only half joking.


	31. Chapter 31

A/N: Thank you all so much for your patience with me while getting this chapter out. I participated in a Ficfest, and that took priority over this chapter for me. Anywhoo, I love you all so much. I hope you enjoy this chapter. ****** TRIGGER WARNING****** There is torture in this scene, rating has gone to 'M'. Much love- Bookworm

* * *

He was so tired, but he couldn't skip another day from Potterwatch. George had been so kind to point out he had skipped being on the show for well over a month. He had bribed Fred by bringing him breakfast in bed, and promising they would take some polyjuice and go outside. Ever since they had been forced to leave The Burrow, they had been forced to remain inside and it had taken a toll on both Fred and George.

"Rapier, what do you say?" Lee asked, looking concerned. When Fred glanced around the table, confused, Lee repeated the question. "What do you think about You-Know-Who leaving the country?" He asked.

"Erm… Is he taking a holiday? Seems bad timing to me River." He said with a shrug, and leaning closer to the microphone. "Seems to me that he's taking it easy on Potter, giving him a chance even, if he has taken a holiday." He whispered in a conspiratorial tone. With a glance around the table, he saw everyone grinning encouragingly at him, and decided to continue.

"What does it say when the most feared wizard in a century takes leave of his post? Says to me he's lost his nerve, River. Of course, what do I know? I'm basically a child compared to him. Which brings something else up, You-Know-Who is running from children. Never mind that they are technically adults, they are barely. You-Know-Who isn't up against an army like we are, his rivals are children. The person who seems to be his biggest threat," Fred took a moment to let out a laugh, "has been so since before he was born. A baby! Who is scared of a baby?" He laughed.

"Thank you for that… colorful… commentary Rapier." Kingsley said with a chuckle.

"And, on that note, it seems we have come to that time again for us to sign off. Stay strong, stay vigilant. Harry, we are behind you." Lee said, raising a questioning eyebrow to Fred, who nodded. "We have one last message tonight before we release the next password, Rapier?"

"Otter, I love you. I need you to be strong, and I need you to be safe. Come home soon." Fred said, finishing his statement with a nod to Lee.

"Thank you Rapier. Your next password will be…" He trailed off, thinking, before grinning widely. "Barny." He said, making everyone around the table laugh.

"Keep each other safe: keep the faith." Remus said before Lee ended the show.

"It's good to have you back mate." Lee said, standing and giving Fred a hug.

"It's good to be back." Fred admitted, feeling more like himself than he had in a long time. Lee released him, but was quickly and roughly replaced by a beaming George. Fred let out a laugh, and returned the hug tightly.

"Thank Merlin. You were scaring me." He heard George say softly, and he nodded.

"I know, I'm sorry…" Fred muttered.

"It's fine." George said, shaking his head and releasing his twin. "It's fine. Let's go get the polyjuice, we can go to that magic shop." George suggested, and Fred eagerly agreed.

* * *

Harry looked around the tent at Ron and Hermione, their faced expressing the same shock he imagined was mirrored on his own.

"He's out of the country?" Ron asked, looking for anyone to confirm what he just heard. Harry nodded slowly, and Hermione slowly closed her mouth.

"What does it mean?" She asked slowly, eyeing Harry closely.

"I… I dunno." Harry admitted, rubbing his hand on his cheek. "Maybe he is… Hermione, what if the Elder Wand exists?" He asked, and she opened her mouth to reply, but he continued to speak. "I know we said that the Hallows had nothing to do with the Horcruxes, and maybe they don't. But what if they have to do with Vol-"

"NO!" Ron bellowed, and Harry rolled his eyes, but continued to speak.

"You-Know_Who then! What if he is looking for the Hallows? The Elder Wand is unbeatable, right?" Harry asked, pausing for Hermione to actually answer.

"Well, yes but Harry-" She started to tell him that it didn't exist, but he once again began to speak.

"Then that's what he's after. He's after the wand. That has to be it!" He shouted excitedly, standing and beginning to walk around the tent.

"Harry, the wand is just a legend." Hermione said desperately, attempting to steer him away from his train of thought.

"Hermione, he has proven legends right before, just look at the Chamber of Secrets!" Harry said excitedly. "If he is out of the country, now is our time to try to hunt the rest down while he's distracted." He said.

"I don't know Harry… We don't have any leads on any more Horcruxes. We have time Harry." Hermione attempted to reassure him.

"Hermione this is Volde-"

"NO HARRY!" Ron screamed, his eyes wide.

"-mort we are talking about." Harry finished, ignoring Ron.

"Harry it's taboo!" Ron shouted, standing and scrambling about. "We need to leave. Now." Ron insisted, shoving his items into his rucksack haphazardly. "NOW!" He shouted, looking wildly at Hermione and Harry. They dashed to pack their possessions, but were stopped by loud noises outside the tent.

"Snatch 'em!" They heard. Hermione froze for a moment, they had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. She bit her lip before turning to Harry.

"I'm sorry." She said, her eyes tearing up as she lifted her wand and shot a stinging jinx at Harry's face. As she watched his face swell, she snatched his glasses from his face and shoved them into the beaded bag.

"Wha- 'ermione." Harry said, struggling to speak past his swollen lips.

"Shhh." She said as the snatchers crashed into the tent. She was grabbed roughly around the waist, her feet ripped off of the ground.

"Look what we 'ave." The man who held her said in a thick accent as he carried her outside. She struggled violently, attempting to shake herself out of his grasp. "Oooh we 'ave a fighter." He chuckled. She continued to struggle against him, maybe if she got away she would be able to get them out of this. A face appeared in front of her, grinning at her, and she spit in his face. His grin seemed to widen as he brought a hand to her face in a sharp slap. It stunned her enough that they were able to tie her hands behind her back after shoving her to the ground.

"Don't! Don't touch her!" She heard Ron yell angrily, followed by a thud.

"Don't hurt him! Please!" She pleaded.

"If you're boyfriend doesn't learn to keep his mouth-" She heard another thud and angry tears sprung into her eyes. "shut. He'll get a lot worse. Let's just see if his name is on my list." The man said in a raspy voice that was familiar to her, but she couldn't quite pinpoint. "Delicious girl…" The man said, stepping close to her and taking a piece of hair in his hands. "What a treat… I do enjoy the softness of the skin…" He said, stepping in front of Hermione. She saw his face, and immediately felt sick to her stomach. She recognized him from wanted posters and ads in the paper, she was face to face with Fenrir Greyback.

"Now," He said, dragging himself away from Hermione, "let's see who we have." He said as he walked to where Hermione could see Harry was on the ground. She felt anger rise in her chest as he leaned over and roughly pulled Harry into a sitting position.

"What happened to you ugly?" he asked, Harry failed to answer and was punished with a strike to the stomach. "I said, what happened to you ugly?" Greyback growled.

"Stung." Harry muttered. "Been stung."

"That's a statement." Greyback laughed. "Name?"

"Dudley."

"And your first name ugly?" Greyback asked.

"Vernon. Vernon Dudley." Harry answered quickly. Hermione's heart beat roughly against her chest at his answer, hoping that the snatchers hadn't done their research on Harry.

"Check it, Scabior." Greyback commanded before moving onto Ron. "And you, ginger?"

"Stan Shunpike." Ron said quickly, but was met with laughter.

"Like 'ell." Scabior said. "We know Stan. Put in the work for us, 'e 'as." There was another thump and a grunt from Ron.

"Bardy. Bardy Weadley." Ron said.

"A Weasley, eh? Easy enough." Greyback said in his raspy tone.

"And you? Who are you, girly?" He asked, once again leaning closely into her face.

"Penelope Clearwater." She answered without thought.

"Blood status?" Greyback asked, running a long finger along her cheek. She flinched away from him, but answered quickly.

"Half-blood." She said, leaning away from him.

"The 'ole lot of em look like they should be in 'ogwarts…" Scabior said, studying their little group.

"We lebt." She heard Ron say. She silently begged for him to shut his mouth, knowing that the more he talked, the quicker they might figure out who they were.

"Decided to go camping? Use the Dark Lord's name for a laugh?" Scabior barked out.

"Nod a laugh." Ron insisted. "Aggiden." He muttered.

"An accident?" Someone said as laughter surrounded them. They were moved then, tied together to two other people that the snatchers had already gotten. The bindings were tight around them, and Hermione kept her movements to a minimum so avoid hurting herself. She closed her eyes, wishing that she had studied wandless magic when she had the chance.

"Anyone still have a wand?" She heard Harry mutter when the people tying them up had walked away.

"No." She and Ron both muttered.

"I'm sorry… I said his name." Harry whispered.

"Harry?" Hermione heard a new, though still familiar, voice say. Her eyes sprang open when she realized who had spoken.

"Dean, is that you?" She whispered.

"Don't tell them who you are. They sell people to the ministry for gold." Dean said hurriedly.

Hermione heard Greyback walk back over to the group and begin speaking with Harry again. Harry told him that he was in Slytherin, as the name he had given apparently wasn't in the book that Scabior had been holding. She held her breath until he stopped talking, only letting out a small sigh of relief that Harry had lied well enough for them to believe him. However, that was their last shred of luck.

Hermione had forgotten that the Sword of Gryffindor was out in the tent, and unfortunately would have been easily found.

"Where did you get this?" Greyback asked, gazing at the silver sword. Hermione felt herself begin to sweat, surely their gig was up.

"My father. We took it for firewood." Harry said, his voice shaking. Hermione closed her eyes, maybe they could still get out of this.

"Look at this!" Someone yelled, holding up a paper in his hands. " 'ermione Granger. Moodblood travelling with Potter." The man yelled gleefully, pointing to Hermione. Her heart beat hard against her chest, knowing that no matter what they said now, they wouldn't be getting out of this.

"That makes you… Weasley. And you…" Greyback walked to stand in front of Harry. "Potter." He whispered. "Change of plans, we aren't taking this lot to the ministry." Greyback said loudly. "Malfoy Manor." He announced. Hermione's breathing sped up, coming fast and hard from her lungs, as they were pulled unceremoniously to their feet. The snatchers disapparated, dragging their prisoners with them. Hermione's breath had been labored, but it was squeezed out of her as they moved through space. They landed roughly, Hermione falling to her knees and incidentally pulling the others down as well, she cried out as someone landed on her leg and felt a snap in her ankle. They were pulled back up onto their feet, though Hermione tried to keep her weight off of the ankle she assumed had just broken.

"We've got Potter!" She heard Greyback yell as they walked as a group to the large gate that sat between them and a large mansion. This must be Malfoy Manor. The gates swung open at Greyback's announcement, and they quickly walked up the lane to the large front entrance. Hermione struggled to keep up with the group, her ankle wouldn't allow her to put any weight on it.

"Why are you here?" A woman's voice asked as they arrived at the door.

"We have Potter." Greyback said, Hermione shuddered at his voice.

"Let me see him." The woman said, and the group rotated so that Harry was facing the door. Hermione could see the woman from the corner of her eye, and her breath hitched when she realized that it was Bellatrix Lestrange.

" 'e's a little swollen ma'am, but it's 'im! Can see 'is scar 'ere." Scabior said, pushing Harry's face forward.

"Bring them in." Bellatrix hissed, stepping out of the doorway and allowing them entrance. They were forced up a set of stairs, Hermione cried out when she fell and someone stepped on her hurt ankle.

"Get up, girl." Greyback said, grabbing her arm and pulling her up roughly before shoving her up the last few steps.

"This way," a softer woman's voice said, "my son, Draco, is home for Easter. If this is really Potter, he will be able to tell us." She said, and Hermione realized that it was Narcissa Malfoy that had taken over leading them further into the house.

* * *

Fred was relieved, for the first time in a long time he and George had been able to actually act themselves. They had spent a while at the magic shop, looking at all of the different tricks, before buying some and taking to the streets to perform muggle magic. Funnily enough, none of it was really magic and all just tricks. They had gotten the hang of it about a year ago, and had decided that it would be fun to show off a bit.

When they had arrived back 'home' they had been scolded heavily by their mother, but had smiled the entire time. This was the most normal thing they had done since they had been forced to shut down their shop.

"That was brilliant." Fred said, collapsing onto his bed.

"Indeed it was Freddie." George agreed. "And we still have some tricks left, maybe we could scare mum or dad?" George asked with a laugh.

"Or Muriel." Fred suggested with a grin. "She can't write us off more than she already has."

"Very true." George agreed. "How are you Freddie?" George asked, laying next to Fred on the bed.

"Brilliant." Fred said without hesitation.

"I mean it Fred, I've been worried about you." George said seriously.

"I know you have been." Fred sighed, frowning. He knew that he hadn't been himself lately, but he hadn't been able to pull himself out of the dark pit he had found himself in. "I know." He said again, sitting up and looking at his twin.

"Are you okay?" George asked again, also sitting up.

"I don't think I will be again, at least not until…" He trailed off, and George nodded.

"Hermione." He spoke her name softly. "She'll be alright. You know that, right?" He asked.

"I just… I want her back. It feels wrong. We are all here, with people we love and safe. Hermione is…"

"She's with Harry, and Ron. She's with people who love her Freddie, she isn't alone." George assured him.

"They are on the run George. How can they be safe when they are on the run from You-Know-Who?" Fred asked, rubbing his face with his hands.

"I can't answer that." George whispered. "I'm sorry."

"I just want her back." Fred said softly. "I love her. I know, I should just be happy that I'm with you and everyone else, but I don't…." He trailed off, not wanting to upset his twin.

"It doesn't feel complete without her?" George asked, and Fred nodded. "I know, it's always been the three of us."

"Four. Can't forget Lee." Fred added, making George smile.

"Right, four." He said, and they both lay back down on the bed, side by side.

"George?" Fred asked into the silence after a moment.

"Yeah Fred?" George replied.

"I'm going to ask her to marry me, when they get back." Fred said, and George laughed.

"Good, I was going to for you if you didn't." George said with a smile, getting a nudge from Fred in the ribs. "I'm just saying, she'd never know it wasn't you." He laughed.

"Are you kidding? She would know right off, she'd probably say yes though, just to make mum flip when she figured it out." Fred laughed loudly. There on the bed they stayed, laughing for hours about memories from school and what they would do when everything went back to normal. They fell asleep still laughing, next to each other like they had done when they were children, and at peace for the first time in months.

* * *

Bellatrix was in her face, Hermione tried to lean away from the hot breath that was landing on her face. She pulled out a knife and grabbed Hermione by the arm, spinning her about, and roughly cutting the bindings that held her.

"Take the other two down to the cellar, Greyback." She commanded. "The mudblood and I will have a little chat." She said, her mouth close to Hermione's ear. Hermione struggled, attempting to move away from the vile woman that had a tight hold on her.

"No! No! Take me!" Ron yelled, his face turning a deep red.

"If she dies, I'll be sure to take you next." Bellatrix laughed, dragging Hermione into the middle of the room before facing her.

"Where did you get the sword?" Bellatrix hissed, holding her knife against Hermione's throat.

"We found it." Hermione gasped out the first excuse that came to mind, attempting to pull herself out of the woman's grasp.

"Oh really? Let's try that again." Bellatrix said, taking her knife and carving into Hermione's collarbone. It elicited a bloodcurdling scream from Hermione that echoed in the large room and made her throat burn. "Where -" another carving, another ragged scream, "did you -" she dug in deeper, "get it?" She finished her question with a twist of her blade.

"We found it!" Hermione screamed. Unsatisfied with her answer, Bellatrix threw her to the ground.

"Likely. That sword was in my vault, what else did you take?! CRUCIO!" Bellatrix screamed, getting down and sitting on Hermione's chest. She felt an all consuming pain rake through her body, and she struggled to move. Something told her that if she was able to get away, the pain would end. Just as soon as it had happened, it was over. She struggled to breath, and attempted to push the woman off of her. Between the marble under her and the woman on her, she found herself unable to move her chest to take in more air. Bellatrix grinned and grabbed Hermione's hands, slamming them hard on the marble before placing her knees on top of them.

"Nothing! We didn't take anything!" Hermione cried, she couldn't help herself. She hated crying, but she was in so much pain.

"LIAR!" Bellatrix screamed.

"No! I swear!" Hermione cried out, shaking her head as she felt the sharp blade dig into her arm. She could tell that the cuts were deep, she could feel her own blood running down her arm and pooling underneath her.

"Where did you get it?" Bellatrix asked, carving into Hermione's arm. The knife sliced cleanly through her flesh, with no resistance at all, but she could feel her skin splitting and the blood pulsing out of the laceration. With every heartbeat, she felt new blood pour onto her arm and felt her hand grow cold from lack of the needed substance.

"It's not real!" Hermione screamed, saying anything to get this to stop. She pounded the heels of her feet into the ground in an attempt to draw some of the pain away from her arm. "Please…" She cried, she just wanted it all to stop. Bellatrix then finished carving her blade into Hermione and sat up.

"Wormtail! Get the Goblin, he'll tell us if it's real." Bellatrix commanded. She tapped her blade to Hermione's arm, and let out a singular laugh. "A little reminder for you, so you never forget your place." She whispered, leaning her face close to Hermione's. There were footsteps coming closer to them, and Bellatrix stood from her place on top of her. Hermione turned her head weakly, and saw through her tears that Wormtail had brought a goblin back with him.

"Is it real?" Hermione heard Bellatrix ask. Her eyes traveled down to her arm, which was stinging harshly and bleeding profusely. She couldn't make out anything from it at first, it was possible that she had just been carving aimlessly into Hermione's arm. It took a moment, staring at the throbbing incisions.

"No madam, it's a fake. A good one, but still fake." The goblin said.

"Fake… good." She heard Bellatrix mutter. "Good."

Mudblood. She made out the words, and a fresh wave of sobs racked her body. She slapped her other hand on to her arm and wiped away the blood, spreading it along her arm and ignoring the sting that came with. More blood seeped out of the nasty lettering, and she wondered if it was possible that a major vein had been cut. If she was lucky, maybe she would die. Then, all of this would be over. No more torture, no more Voldemort, no more running. She would be free, but what of the people that she would leave behind? She couldn't die, not now, not when she wasn't done yet. Her thoughts were interrupted by running feet and the beginning of a fight. She felt herself being dragged up to her feet, and her head fell forward. She was too weak to pay attention to what was happening around her, until her hair was grasped and the knife held back to her throat. There was enough pressure, that Hermione felt the knife break the skin and blood trickled down her throat.

"Enough! Or I'll kill her!" Bellatrix shouted, and Hermione saw that Harry and Ron were standing before them. They threw down their wands, both looking livid. "Good, now let's tie them back up until the Dark Lord arrives. Except the Mudblood, Greyback you can take her. I'm sure the Dark Lord will not begrudge you of a prize after everything you have done tonight." She told him, releasing some of the pressure from the knife she held.

Hermione furrowed her brow at a grinding sound, and focused her attention above her, to the large chandelier. She looked past the glass and iron to see what looked like a house elf sitting on it. She smiled as she realized what it was doing, but panicked when she realized that the fixture would fall directly on top of her. Bellatrix seemed to realize this just as soon as the chandelier began to fall, and she dove to get out of the way. Hermione stumbled forward, only just getting out of the way as the glass shattered on the ground. She fell, sprawling on the ground. She pushed herself up, and crawled forward, bringing glass with her on the ground. She shook her hands, hearing small pieces of glass release from her palms and fall to the ground.

"Hermione!" Ron called to her, running to her and pulling her to her feet. "We have to go." He said, putting her arm around his shoulders and stumbling over to where Harry was fighting Draco for a fistful of wands. Dobby had grabbed the goblin and pulled him to the top of the stairs, where the rest soon joined him.

"Dobby?! You dropped the chandelier? How dare you! We are your masters!" Bellatrix screamed, wiping blood from her face.

"Dobby has no masters! Dobby is a free elf, and Dobby has come to safe Harry Potter and his friends!" Dobby cried, standing at his full, though still quite short, height. Hermione saw a flash of silver just before she heard a loud crack and they were apparated out of Malfoy Manor by Dobby. As they were squeezed into nothing, Hermione felt all of her pain rush to the surface, everything went black.


	32. Chapter 32

A/N: I know this chapter is short, but it ended really naturally, and I didn't want to push it. Anyway, thank you for all of your love and patience with me! Please continue to read and review you wonderful, wonderful people. Much Love- Bookworm

* * *

She came to when something cold was being pressed against her arm. It stung, and her eyes flew open. She tried to pull her arm away, she didn't want anyone from that horrible place to be touching her. She saw blonde hair, and her heart raced. Who was touching her?

"Shhh… I am 'elping you." She heard the person say, relief flooded through her as she realized who was helping her.

"Fleur?" She asked hoarsely, tears pooling in her eyes.

"You are safe." Fleur said, moving so that she was in Hermione's line of vision.

"Where are-" Hermione began, feeling tears flood over her eyelids and onto her cheeks.

"Zey are outside…" Fleur said, looking away from her and dabbing the wet cloth back onto her arm.

"Why are they outside?" Hermione asked. Fleur glanced at her, but stayed silent as she continued to work on Hermione's arm. Hermione furrowed her brow, and grabbed Fleur's arm, stilling her movements. "Fleur, why are they outside?" Hermione asked again, her throat burning as she spoke.

"I am sorry 'Ermione, ze elf zat brought you 'ere…." Fleur trailed off, looking forlorn.

"Dobby? What about him?" Hermione asked, sitting up in the bed.

"Zey are burying 'im." Fleur said, finally making eye contact with Hermione. Her eyes were red and puffy, she had obviously cried recently.

"I have to go outside." Hermione said, attempting to stand from the bed. Fleur put her hands on her shoulders, forcing her to stay in the bed. Hermione glared at her and snatched her wand from where she saw it on the bedside table, bringing it up to point at Fleur. "Let. Me. Up." Hermione growled. Fleur slowly removed her hands from Hermione and nodded.

"Let me 'elp you." Fleur said softly, offering her hand out to Hermione, who took it gratefully. They slowly made their way down the stairs and out of the house, Fleur holding onto her arm the entire time. Fleur guided her to where they found Harry, Ron, and Dean all digging into the ground. Luna was standing nearby, holding a small bundle in her arms. Hermione and Fleur made their way to Luna, and new tears filled her eyes when she realized that it was Dobby that she was holding in her arms.

"What happened?" She asked softly.

"Bellatrix." Harry said, stabbing his spade into the dirt angrily.

"Oh." Hermione whispered, remembering that she had seen a flash of silver when they had apparated away. She must have thrown the knife she had been using on Hermione. "Where is it?" Hermione asked, making all three of the boys in front of her turn to look at her.

"What?" Ron asked, furrowing his brows.

"The knife." Hermione said, looking down at the ground.

"Erm… Here." Dean said, pulling out it from his pocket and looking at it with disdain. Hermione silently held out her hand, and he placed it into her palm gently. She brought it up close to her face, examining it, before pointing her wand at it. It disappeared from her palm, and she had a satisfied smile on her face.

"What did you just do?" Ron asked.

"Well, if it worked, that knife is now on the bottom of the ocean." Hermione said, stowing her wand away in the overcoat she wore.

"And if it didn't?" Dean asked apprehensively. Hermione thought for a moment before shrugging.

The boys nodded, and turned back to their work filling the silence with the sound of metal hitting dirt. Hermione watched the sea behind them, thinking about how if they weren't in this particular situation, they would all be able to enjoy this view. Fleur made sure that Hermione would be fine before she walked back to the house alone, leaving the younger group to themselves. Just as Hermione shivered from the falling temperature mixing with the chilly ocean breeze, Harry threw his spade out of the hole and climbed out.

"That's good." He said, taking a step back and looking at the grave they had just dug. Ron and Dean followed suit, throwing their own spades to the side and climbing out to stand next to Harry. Luna stepped forward and gently laid Dobby inside of the grave.

"Should we say something?" Luna asked, and Harry nodded.

"Dobby-" Harry choked out, and shook his head as tears spilled onto his cheeks. Luna placed a hand on his arm and gave him a smile.

"Should I?" She asked softly, and he nodded, swiping the tears from his face. Luna took a step forward and cleared her throat.

"Thank you so much, Dobby, for rescuing me from that cellar. It's so unfair that you had to die, when you were so good and brave. I'll always remember what you did for us. I hope you're happy now." Luna said with a clear voice and a solemn smile on her face. Ron wrapped his arm around Hermione when she shivered again, and she leaned into him as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"That was great." Dean said, everyone muttering their agreement around her.

"Thank you." Harry muttered, turning and giving Luna a hug. Hermione pulled her wand out and pointed it at the mound of dirt that the boys had just made. It slowly lifted from the ground and placed itself back into the grave, creating a small mound. Harry stepped forward after a moment of silence and placed a smooth stone over the head of the grave.

"Harry, do you want me to?" Hermione asked, taking a step forward.

"No. I want to do it." Harry said, shaking his head as he pulled out his wand. She watched as he held the wand over the stone, carving words that would stay forever. After a few minutes, Harry tucked his wand away and placed one hand onto the stone.

"I'm so sorry." Harry whispered before standing and taking a step back so everyone could read the words he had carved: Here lies Dobby, a free elf. Hermione smiled at him, and pulled him into a hug.

"We should go inside." Ron said.

"I'm going to stay here for a minute." Harry said softly. Hermione nodded, and turned with Ron to go back to the cottage behind them.

"Are you alright?" Ron asked softly.

"No." Hermione said softly, shaking her head. "Are you?"

"I don't think any of us are." Ron answered as they stepped over the threshold into the cottage.

"I should… I'm tired.." Hermione said. Fleur had apparently heard her, and appeared in front of them.

"I 'ave food ready. Come eat, zen I will 'elp you back upstairs." Fleur said, taking Hermione's arm and leading the group into the kitchen.

* * *

"I just want to do something more than just sit here! They are out there, fighting, risking their lives. We are here, doing nothing!" Fred said, his face red as he looked around the table of Order members.

"Fred, calm down." His mother said, staring at him.

"Calm down? Why?! We should be out there, doing something. Anything!" Fred said, looking to George for support. "Why aren't we out there doing something?" He asked.

"Fred, you have to understand. Leaving here would put any of us in danger." Arthur said calmly, rubbing his eyes under his glasses.

"That's what Polyjuice is for!" Fred said angrily.

"Fred, what would you do? Honestly, what could you do right now?" Arthur asked, gazing at his son.

"I- I don't know." Fred said, looking down at the table.

"I think supper is done." Molly said softly, standing and gathering the plates from around the table.

Fred and George both stood from the table and made their way up to their temporary room.

"Fred-" George began as he shut the door behind him.

"George, I feel so helpless." Fred sighed, flopping down onto the bed. "Ugh, I hate this house." He said, looking at the decorative wallpaper.

"I know Fred. Trust me, I know. But there's nothing we could do." George said solemnly. They sat on the bed in silence for a while, before a thought struck Fred.

"George… What if there was something we could do?" He asked, hopeful.

"What do you mean?"

"George, we read the paper every day. We see how many muggles die every day. What if we could help protect them?" Fred asked.

"How though?" George asked.

"Protection spells. Just around the neighbors. Its something at least." Fred suggested.

"Mum and dad would probably even agree. We could get them to help, we could help twice as many people." George suggested.

"You really think so?" Fred asked, still angry that their parents didn't see things the way he did.

"Let's go ask. We are of age, we can go even if they don't agree." George said with a shrug. Fred thought for a moment before nodding in agreement.

To Fred's surprise, their parent's did agree that it was a good idea. They all agreed that they would head out immediately, they also agreed to not tell Muriel about their plan as they were sure she would think it was a horrible idea. They split into two pairs, and headed out of the house. Their Aunt Muriel lived in a mostly muggle town, so they spilt, the two pairs going in different directions down the street.

"Here's the first one. Does it look like anyone is home?" George asked as they came upon the first house. They peered at the home, looking for lights or movement in the house.

"Erm… No, I don't think so." Fred said, pulling out his wand.

"Okay, let's be quick about it, we don't want anyone to see us." George said, Fred nodding in agreement. They both glanced down the streets, and only seeing their parents down the lane, lifted their wands in tandem.

They worked quickly, only casting the more simple protection spells and charms before they moved onto the next house. They had all agreed that once they were done with the street, they would meet back at the house, so Fred and George began to make their way back, knowing that their parents would take a little longer since they had a few more houses than Fred and George had. They sat down on the stoop, Fred letting out a long breath.

"Okay Freddie?" George asked, glancing over at him.

"I suppose. I just…" Fred trailed, not sure how to articulate how he was feeling.

"Feel like it's not good enough?" George asked, putting his chin in his palms. Fred let out a laugh and nodded, leaning into his twin. "You think it'll be over soon?" George asked. Fred thought for a moment and shrugged.

"I really don't know. We can hope it is. But… we haven't heard anything about them in…" Fred trailed off, trying to think of when they had actually heard anything about the trio that had left to fight Voldemort.

"Weeks." George finished for him.

"Weeks." Fred sighed, nodding.

* * *

"Harry, I'm not sure that this is such a good idea, you heard what Bill said. We shouldn't make deals with goblins." Hermione whispered as they climbed the stairs to see the goblin.

"Hermione." Harry said, stopping the group halfway up the steps. "You heard what Bellatrix was saying. She was worried that we had been in her vault, I think that there's another Horcrux in there. Maybe the cup. Dumbledore showed me a memory of You-Know-Who visiting a woman who had the cup."

"I just… maybe there's another way? Maybe we could ask Bill?" Hermione suggested.

"Hermione, you heard Bill, he can't even go to work because the goblins won't choose a side, they help themselves. They take deals that will help them." Ron cut in.

"I don't like this." Hermione said as they continued up the steps.

"Hermione, it's our only choice." Harry argued.

"Harry, he wants the sword. We need it! Its the only way we have to destroy Horcruxes." Hermione whispered as they reached Griphook's door.

"I never said when we would give it to him." Harry said, biting his lip nervously.

"Harry, that's not a good idea." Hermione hissed as Harry opened the door.

Harry and Griphook quickly had a plan to get into the Lestrange's vault, and Hermione was less than thrilled when she realized what they were saying. She glanced at Ron, just to be sure that he was hearing the same thing that she was, and by the grim look on his face he didn't much like the plan either.

"Hermione, do you think you could do it? You have her wand after all." Harry asked.

"Harry.. I can't." Hermione said, eyes wide at his suggestion.

"Hermione, you were the closest to her! You are the only one that could!" Harry pleaded.

"Harry that's…" Hermione saw the look on Harry's face and let out a sigh. "I need to think." She finished, standing and exiting the room. She slowly made her way back downstairs, thinking that some fresh air would help her decide what she should do.

" Oh! 'Ermione dear, I was going to wash some clothes, may I take your's?" Fleur caught her just before she left the house.

"Oh, erm of course." Hermione mumbled before walking to her bag and grabbing their clothes. She had just grabbed the sweater she had been wearing at Malfoy Manor when she noticed a long hair on it, making her breath catch in her throat. She clutched the hair in her hand as she slowly walked back up the stairs after giving their clothes to Fleur. She felt tears gather in her eyes at the realization of what she was about to do, and took in a deep breath as she placed her hand on the door.

"Harry." She said, holding up the hair. "We have polyjuice."

"Are you sure?" Ron asked, standing from his chair.

"Are you sure it's our only choice?" She directed her question to Harry and Griphook, who both nodded their heads. "Okay." She agreed. "There's not enough room for you three under the cloak for all three of you though." She said, taking her seat.

It took a while for them to figure out how everything would work, and it was eventually agreed that Harry and Griphook would be too high risk to not be under the cloak. It took days to bring Ron round to the idea that his appearance would be magically altered so that he wouldn't be under the cloak, and though he fought them about it at first Hermione made it clear that if she had to pretend to be Bellatrix, then he would need to let her alter his appearance.

Once they were as ready as they could be, they all gathered outside where Hermione stood, staring at the bottle in her hands.

"Are you ready?" Harry asked, placing a hand on her arm. She nodded her head silently, still staring at the bottle. After a moment, she knocked the bottle back and closed her eyes as she felt her body begin to change.

"Eh." Ron said, taking a step away from her. She glared at him and shoved her black curly hair out of her face.

"Oh, stop it Ronald." Hermione said, only Bellatrix's voice came out. "Come here, let me fix you up." She said, gesturing for him to come closer. He looked uncertain for a moment before taking a few steps toward her. He flinched when she lifted her wand, and she let out a sigh before casting a few spells and giving him longer, darker hair and a full beard.

"That should do." She said, giving an approving nod.

"Yeah?" Ron asked, turning to look for Harry's approval. Harry looked at him for a moment before giving a nod.

"You don't look like yourself at all." Harry agreed. They quickly went over the plan one more time before Hermione threw the invisibility cloak over Harry and Griphook and they apparated to Gringotts Bank.


	33. Chapter 33

A/N: I'm so excited about this chapter! I really hope that y'all like it as much as I liked writting it! Disclaimer: JKR owns Harry Potter, I do not. Obviously. Please read and review, I love to know how y'all feel about this story. Much Love- Bookworm

Fred and George had just apparated to the meeting place for their newest Potterwatch broadcast, both of them settling into their seats and saying hello to Lee, Kingsley and Lupin. George sat down next to Fred and placed a glass of water in front of him, broadcasts had been taking a lot out of Fred lately and George always tried to make them as easy as he could for him. Fred gave him a thankful smile as Lee lifted his wand to start the broadcast. Before he got the chance to say the incantation, there was a loud knock on the door. The group, all with wide eyes, looked around at each other.

"We… aren't expecting anyone else, right?" George asked in a whisper, and Lee shook his head in response.

"Should we ask who it is?" Lee looked at Kingsley for an answer.

"I don't-" Kingsley began to say.

"River, let me in." Came a voice from the other side of the door.

"That's Bill!" Fred whispered. Lupin immediately stood and pulled his wand as he walked to the door.

"Why did I come to your house in the last month?" Lupin asked, Fred and George looked at each other in confusion at the question.

"To tell us that your son had been born, and to ask Potter to be Godfather." Bill answered. Fred's mouth fell open at the answer, Bill had seen Harry, he might have seen Hermione. "Open up! I have news!" Bill shouted through the door, sounding angry. Lupin opened the door, allowing Bill to enter, and closed it quickly behind him.

"They broke into-" Bill started, but was interrupted when Fred bowled into him, knocking him over. Fred had a hold of the front of Bill's robes and was sitting on his chest, his face red with anger.

"They were at Shell Cottage?" He asked angrily, almost a growl more that actual words. Bill's eyes were wide, shocked that his little brother had just knocked him over and was on his chest. "Answer me!" He shouted.

"Yes." Bill said quickly.

"Why didn't you tell me!?" Fred asked, outraged.

"They told me not to! They had just gotten away from Malfoy Manor and-" He was cut off as Fred's fist made contact with the side of Bill's jaw.

"Fred!" George shouted, springing forward and pulling his twin off of their brother. "What are you doing?" He shouted as he pushed Fred across the room.

"He saw her! They were there when Lupin had the kid! Why didn't you tell me?!" Fred shouted, his face turning more red as he shouted. "I'm gonna kill you!" He lunged forward, arms outstretched, but George caught him around the waist before he could reach Bill.

"Fred!" Bill bellowed, holding his hands up in surrender. "Hermione begged me to not tell you. She said that if she saw you, she wouldn't be able to leave. Fred, I wanted to tell you right off, but she told me not to!" Bill said, watching as Fred deflated slowly.

"She… what?" Fred asked.

"She begged me not to tell you, but she gave me a letter to give to you." Bill said, pulling a paper from his pocket and handing it to Fred. He moved to open it, but Bill placed a hand over his. "Not now, I have news."

"About Hermione?" Fred asked, eyes wide as Bill nodded.

"They broke into Gringotts. Lestrange vault." Bill said. There was a collective gasp, and Fred quickly sat down in his chair.

"They did what?" Fred asked softly.

"Well ,I can't be positive, but the descriptions match them, and they left the cottage this morning. The goblins say that they stole something. Griphook snuck them in, they left him behind and he said that they were after a goblet. I only overheard all of this, but I heard that they escaped on a dragon." Bill said after taking a seat at the table.

"A- a bloody dragon?" George said, his mouth falling open. Bill nodded, sighing. "Blimey, Charlie would love them."

"They got away?" Fred asked, his voice filled with worry.

"As far as I know, yes." Bill affirmed.

"Wait, they couldn't have just walked in. How did they do it?" Lee asked, leaning forward.

"Erm… It sounded like two of them came in, disguised as Bellatrix and an acquaintance. Two of them must have been under Harry's cloak." Bill explained.

"Are you sure?" George asked, glancing at Fred who was staring down at the ground, deep in thought.

"Almost completely certain it was them." Bill said, nodding.

"Where would they go?" George asked softly.

"I'm sorry. Before we figure that out, it's almost midnight. We need to do this broadcast." Lee said, interrupting the conversation. Lee waved his wand, starting the broadcast, and everyone fell silent. Lee started as normal, listing the new dead and missing since the last broadcast.

"And now, we have a special- er- newscast from a visitor. Erm…" Lee gave a sly smile and leaned closer to his microphone, "Ramesses." He said, pointing to Bill. Bill let out a laugh and nodded.

"Thank you River. Yes, I have news concerning the three heroes that have been dubbed the 'Golden Trio'. According to sources at Gringotts, they have broken into the bank and stolen something before escaping on the back of a dragon."

"You heard that right everyone, the trio broke out of Gringotts on the back of a Dragon." Lee said.

"My question is, why would they risk everything by breaking into Gringotts? It's run by goblins, most of whom have made it clear that they aren't taking sides, they will just help whoever offers them more." Lupin said.

"Well, according to my source at Gringotts, the trio broke Into the bank and stole a goblet."

"All that running must be making them thirsty." Lee joked, trying to keep things light.

"You could say that again, its been just about ten months that the trio have been on the run." Kingsley said in his slow baritone.

"Right you are Royal." Lee said, grinning at him. "Now, as I understand it we have an update on Hogwarts. Students are being forced to practice dark magic on-" Lee was cut off by a siren. Everyone swung their head around in shock, it was the siren that alerted them about an emergency at Hogwarts.

"Lighting has struck, I repeat, Lightning has struck." Came a voice from a speaker next to the siren. Everyone became silent as the transmission cut out, and as the news dawned on them they all sprang from their seats. Lee began to run out with the rest of the group, but turned back to the microphone.

"If you are listening, you know what has happened. If you are a supporter, meet us there. This has been Potterwatch. Stay safe." He said in a hurry. Fred and George had hung back, waiting for Lee, and each one quickly grabbed one of his arms before apparating to the temporary Order headquarters. Bill, Kingsley, and Lupin had all beat them there, and had gathered the rest of the Weasley family. They were quickly joined by about a dozen other Order members while Kingsley got in contact with Aberforth through the floo network.

"Aberforth, Miss Weasly has informed us that we might be able to gain access to Hogwarts through your pub?" Kingsley asked.

"Yeah." Aberforth grunted. "Longbottom warned me about you lot. Come in the biggest groups you can. Apparate straight into the pub, there's a Caterwauling Charm outside." Aberforth said, quickly disappearing from the fireplace. The large group quickly split into three groups, and Fred insisted his group went first .

Fred gripped George's hand tightly in his as they made their way through the passageway that connected the Hog's Head to Hogwarts. George glanced at him, fear written all over his face, and squeezed his hand. Fred forced a smile onto his face, attempting to reassure his twin.

"Alright George?" Fred asked softly.

"I'm scared." George whispered. "Is this it?"

"I think so George." Fred said solemnly, looking grimly ahead of them as they reached a door. They both took a deep breath before giving each other a nod and opening the door. They entered the room together and greeted some people that were next to the door. They made their way deeper into the room, Fred scanning the room for only one person, and when he saw her he froze. He only saw her profile, but immediately knew that it was Hermione. The door opened again, and everyone turned to see who entered, everyone but Fred and George who were both staring at Hermione. They watched as her eyes scanned the room, and Fred grinned when her eyes met him. In the time it took Fred to blink once, Hermione had run over to the twins and had thrown her arms around Fred.

"You're okay." Fred whispered. He took a deep breath, breathing in the scent of the woman in his arms. Fred brought his hand to her face, and tilted her head up to kiss her as more people entered the room. They broke apart when George cleared his throat and lifted his eyebrows.

"Where's my kiss?" He asked cheekily. Hermione laughed and released Fred, only to throw her arms around George and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you." Fred heard her say. George pulled back from her, looking confused.

"What for?" He asked.

"Keeping him safe. Keeping him… well, him." She said, smiling to Fred.

"It was my pleasure." George said, bowing sarcastically. Hermione laughed, gazing happily at both Fred and George.

"Hermione!" Ron said, rushing up to the group. "We have to go, a kid just came in and said the professors know Harry is in the castle. They are gathering all the students in the Great Hall, but we need to find a way to destroy the Horcruxes." Ron told her.

"Right, of course. Any ideas?" She asked.

"I have one. I know where to find some basilisk fangs." Ron said, and Hermione gasped.

"Ron, that's brilliant! Can we get in?" She asked. Fred and George glanced at each other, confused by the conversation.

"Yeah, I think I can get us in." He said, nodding.

"Alright, let's go." Hermione said, taking a step forward.

"Wait!" Fred cried, grabbing her arm. "Please don't go again." He pleaded, watching as tears formed in her eyes.

"I promise Fred, I'll be back soon. Faster than you could say 'Quidditch', okay?" She said, giving him a small smile. "I love you." She whispered, slipping her arm out of his hand and following after Ron. The Order members watched as everyone around them exited the room, leaving the Order members to gather in a group and begin to formulate a plan.

* * *

Hermione and Ron quietly ran to the bathroom on the second floor, where Ron knew the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was located. They both stayed silent, not wanting to draw any attention from anyone who could be nearby, until they were inside the bathroom and Hermione had thrown a Muffliato charm on the door.

"Ron, this is a brilliant idea, but how are we going to get in? Second year you said that Harry had to speak in parseltongue, neither of us do." Hermione pointed out. Ron smiled and held up one finger as he examined the tap on the sink. He screwed his face up, and made an awful sort of hissing noise.

"Ron, please. We are just going to have to find-" Hermione was interrupted by another hiss, and to her surprise the marble of the sink began to move.

"See?" Ron asked, grinning and pointing at the large hole in the sink.

"How did you do that?" Hermione asked, staring at him.

"Harry talks in his sleep." Ron said with a shrug. Hermione shook her head and peered down into the dark hole. "Don't worry, it's sort of like a slide." Ron said. "I'll go first, and just shout when I get down." He suggested. Hermione nodded, still unsure about this plan, and stepped away from the hole to watch as Ron sat at the edge and pushed himself off. It was silent for a moment, and Hermione was getting worried that Ron hadn't made another noise. She walked slowly to the hole and peered down, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.

"Ron?" She said loudly. She was answered with a thump and crunching sound.

"It's alright!" She heard Ron's voice, and let out a sigh of relief. She lowered herself to where she was sitting on the edge of the tunnel, and took a calming breath before pushing herself into the darkness.

Ron's description had been accurate, it really was a slide that was taking her into the Chamber of Secrets. As she slid down, she had a fleeting thought of Salazar Slytherin sliding down a sink from a girl's toilet to get to his hidden chamber, and had to hold back a laugh. Soon enough, her feet hit solid ground and she stumbled to catch her footing, every step accompanied by a loud crunch. She looked underneath her and was disgusted to see dozens of small bones scattered around the floor.

"This is the Chamber of Secrets?" She asked, looking around disdainfully.

"No, we have to go through here." Ron said, gesturing to a large round door that had carvings of snakes all around it. Ron led the way to the door, and took a deep breath before hissing again. Hermione winced and stared at him, eyebrows raised.

"Please tell me I will never have to hear that again?" She asked as the door began to open in front of them.

"You will never have to hear that again, at least not from me. Who knows when Harry will just start spouting parseltongue." He joked. Hermione rolled her eyes and climbed through the hole. They were greeted with the dead basilisk, larger than Hermione thought it would have been, laying in the middle of the dark cavern. Hermione's hand immediately went to her nose, the basilisk had been dead and rotting for five years and the smell was horrendous.

"Well… shall we?" Came Ron's muffled voice from beside her, as he too had covered not only his nose but also his mouth. She nodded and they walked forward together to the large carcass. They stood at the gaping mouth, staring at the teeth they had come for, and Hermione let out a groan at the realization they couldn't keep their noses protected. She took a deep breath and pulled her hand away, immediately grabbing her small beaded bag and ripping it open. Ron did the same, though his hands went to a fang and tore it from the jaw of the basilisk. He tossed it to Hermione, who caught it and shoved it into the bag.

"More, just in case." She said. He groaned, but did as she said and pulled three more from the jaw in front of them. "Erm… Ron?" Hermione asked as they walked out of the cavern.

"Yeah?"

"Ron, how are we going to get out?" She asked as they reached the tunnel that had brought them down.

"Oh, I took some brooms and put them in that bag of yours." Ron said, gesturing to her bag. Hermione lifted her bag and opened it, lifting her wand and summoning the brooms she hadn't known about. Ron caught them as they flew out of her bag, and held one out to her.

"Wait, let's get rid of the cup first. We don't need to worry about getting rid of two at once." Hermione suggested. Ron nodded, setting the brooms against the wall. Hermione pulled out both the small Hufflepuff goblet and one of the fangs they had just pulled from the basilisk. She held the fang out to Ron, but he shook his head.

"No, you should do it." He said.

"What? No, Ron just take the fang, I'll hold the goblet while you stab it." Hermione insisted.

"Hermione, I took care of the locket. It only feels right if you do the goblet." Ron said, holding his hand out for the cup. She tentatively placed the goblet in his hand and gingerly held a fang in hers. She took a deep breath as Ron squatted and held the goblet against the damp stone under their feet. She knelt down next to him, gripping the fang tightly in her trembling hand, and the goblet began to shake.

"Hermione, you need to do it now. They fight back." Ron warned. Hermione stared at the goblet, not hearing Ron. She watched as smoke rose from the inside of the golden goblet, forming into shapes before them. What seemed like smoke raised from the goblet and transformed itself into a figure before them, a figure that matched Fred and George. It turned to face Hermione with a sneer on it's face.

"You think… this will help me love you? That I could forgive you, for leaving me?" A voice, unlike Fred's, echoed against the stone walls.

"Hermione! Stab it!" Ron shouted, his voice falling on deaf ears.

"You left me. For them. You always chose them." The figure said, his words hissing slightly.

"No… That's not true." Hermione whispered.

"The sad thing is… you think I could love you still. You think that what you did is forgivable. I could never forgive you… never love you…" The fake Fred said, sneering at her. She felt anger bubble in her chest, she had just seen Fred. He hadn't been mad, he had been relieved. He knew that she had done this for him, for them so they would be safe and live a safe life. So the wizarding world would be safe. He knew, and he loved her for it. She felt her hand clench tightly around the fang, and she brought all of her rage into the downward motion, smashing the fang into the goblet. The golden cup shuddered under her hands, and she quickly pushed herself away from the smoking goblet. Ron did the same, releasing the cup and backing up quickly, just in time, as the goblet then shattered. Hermione lifted her arms instinctively, shielding her face as shards of metal stung her arms.

"You alright?" Ron called to her as the smoke slowly cleared.

"I'm fine." Hermione said shakily. "Let's get out of here. We need to find everyone else." Hermione said, walking over to their brooms and picking one up. Ron nodded and picked up his own broom. They both mounted their brooms and kicked off of the ground, flying up the slide that had brought them down and quickly finding themselves back in the bathroom.

"Where should we go?" Ron asked, peeking out of the door into the hallway.

"Hold on." Hermione said, sticking her hand into her bag and pulling out a thick piece of folded parchment.

"Is that the map?" Ron asked, holding his hand against the door. Hermione nodded, unfolding it and tapping her wand against it.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." She said, peering at the parchment as the map began to appear on it. She scanned quickly, looking for anywhere safe to meet up with anyone friendly. She smiled as she saw a group of Order members making their way through a secret passageway that led to the entrance of the school.

"Everyone is in the Great Hall, including Harry. The Order is headed that way, we can meet up with them there." Hermione suggested. Ron agreed quickly and they quietly exited the bathroom, making their way down a floor to the Great Hall, where they found a large group of Order members. Hermione found her way next to Fred, who immediately grabbed her hand.

"Are you okay?" He whispered. Hermione nodded in response, not trusting herself to speak after what she had just witnessed in the Chamber of Secrets.

*"It seems, despite your exhaustive defensive strategies, you still Have a bit of a security problem, Headmaster." They all heard Harry's voice through the doors, and Kingsley nodded to them, leading the group into the Great Hall. Hermione sucked in a breath at the sight of the grey room, students standing in rows on either side of the room. As they entered, they all heard a collective gasp ring through the room as Harry continued to speak.

"I'm afraid it's quite extensive." He said. Harry was standing in the middle of the room, facing Severus Snape who stood at the far end of the hall.*

"How dare you stand where he stood!" Harry said heatedly, drawing his wand and holding it at his side. "Tell them how it happened that night! How you looked him in the eye, a man who trusted you, and killed him!" He said. Hermione watched as the impassive look on Snape's face turned to anger, and she began to think that this had been a bad idea. She squeezed Fred's hand in panic as Snape drew his wand, leveling it with Harry's chest. Harry began to lift his, but paused halfway when Professor McGonagall swifty stepped in front of him, her wand drawn and lifted. There were stunned cries as students stepped back, attempting to move out of the possible line of fire of their professors. Snape's wand fell an inch, but he drew himself up and cast a spell toward McGonagall, who only waved her wand and blocked the spell. It was a flurry of slashing and spells flying, happening so quickly that it was over before Hermione could fully comprehend what was happening in front of her. It ended with a flurry of black smoke around Snape and the crashing of the window behind him, and a collective gasp that rang through the room.

"Coward!" McGonagall shouted angrily, walking quickly to the window and peering outside. "He jumped!" She said, turning back to the crowd behind her. She quickly bound the unconscious Crows that Severus had hired, and banished them to the corner of the large room. Just as she finished this, a soft, but piercing voice rang through the room. Hermione covered her ears, but was horrified to find that the voice wasn't in the room, but in her mind.

*"I know you are preparing to fight me. I do not wish this. You will not defeat me. I do not wish to spill any magical blood." The voice hissed. Hermione pressed her hands to her temples, as the intrusion to her mind made her feel as though her skull was being split open.

"Give me Harry Potter. Give me Harry Potter, and you will not be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded." Faces swiveled to look at Harry, who was holding his own head in pain.

"You have until midnight."*

The voice slowly faded, as it seemed to echo in their ears, and finally it was quiet once more. Everyone stared at Harry, who finally seemed to realize that despite the Order being on his side, they wouldn't be able to take on a school full of children who feared for their lives.

"Well he's there!" Came a shrill voice. "Somebody grab him!" Hermione glared at the source of the voice, Pansy Parkinson, and stepped in front of Harry with her wand raised in the direction of the Slytherins. There was a sudden movement of feet, and a circle formed around Harry and the members of the Order. Only they weren't doing as Pansy had said, they were facing her and the rest of the Slytherin house, as they were the only ones that hadn't moved to protect Harry.

"Thank you Miss Parkinson. You and your house may leave first, with Mister Filch." McGonagall stated.

"Where would you like for me to take them?" Filch asked in his wheezy voice.

"The dungeons will do." McGonagall answered, ignoring the cheers that came from a handful of the students that surrounded Harry. As the Slytherin students followed the caretaker out of the Great Hall, McGonagall turned to Harry, looking tired.

"Potter, not that I'm not glad to see you, but what in Merlin's name are you doing here? Its, quite obviously, not safe." She said as the students dispersed around her.

"I have to find something. I'm not sure what it is, but I think it's something that belonged to Ravenclaw." Harry said.

"Potter, I'll do what I can to help." She said, but Harry shook his head.

"No, Professor, he's here." He said urgently.

"Potter, how do you-" She began to say.

"I don't have time to explain, but I know." He interrupted her.

"Are you sure?" She asked, and Harry nodded. "Very well. Everyone, listen." She said firmly, her voice ringing through the hall and bringing silence over the students that remained. "Voldemort is here. I must evacuate the school, if you would all make your way-"

"No!" An older student said. "Let us fight!" He said, taking a step forward and standing straight, looking determined.

"I cannot allow-" McGonagall began to reject him, but another student stepped forward.

"We are of age. We want to fight." The girl said, nodding to the first boy as other students stepped beside them. Many more joined them, as McGonagall watched them in a stunned silence.

"Very well." She agreed with a sad sigh. "I will allow seventh year students to remain behind, but the rest of you need to exit the hall and follow Remus Lupin out of the castle." She said, beckoning Lupin forward. He walked to her side, looking uncomfortable with his new task. No students moved to leave, and McGonagall let out an irritated breath.

"Anyone under the age of sixteen-" She began, but was once again interrupted by Kingsley.

"Professor?" He asked, and she turned angrily to him.

"What, Shaklebolt?"

"Might I suggest we allow students to volunteer to stay, with your approval of course." He suggested. McGonagall's face immediately looked forlorn as she realized that they would need everyone they could, and she slowly nodded.

"Everyone who is willing to fight, take a seat at the tables." She said, waving her wand and conjuring two long tables into the hall. A large mass of students quickly took seats, leaving behind some very frightened younger students in a small group. Lupin seemed to soften, and walked to them, speaking soft words of comfort. McGonagall walked to the tables, and began to pick through the students, telling younger students that she was sorry but they needed to leave. Finally, the younger ones followed Lupin out of the Hall and left the rest of their classmates with the group of Order members.

Hermione felt tears welling in her eyes as she looked over at the large group of determined students that sat at the tables. Some looked excited, others seemed to realize what they had agreed to and looked fearful.

"Fred." She whispered, turning to him. "This is a bad idea. This isn't right." She said, her voice catching in her throat. He glanced at the table, and frowned.

"There's nothing else we can do…" He said.

"We're going to die." She whispered, her eyes growing wide.

"Hermione, don't you dare talk like that. You are a Gryffindor. What does that mean?" He said, taking her face between his hands.

"Nothing.. it means nothing." Hermione whispered, shaking her head.

"Hermione. You are so brave. That's what it means. We are not going to die. We are going to fight, and we will get through this." Fred said sternly. Hermione took a shuddering breath and nodded.

"Right." She said, straightening herself up. "Okay." She said. Fred nodded, and paused for a moment before pulling her face forward and kissing her.

"I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too." She smiled at him as McGonagall began to split everyone into groups.

A/N: *...* = I love these lines so much from both the movie and the books, I used them in this story. Of course, JKR owns the lines and material, I'm just using them to add to her amazing world. Also, Ramesses is a Egyptian name, which I used as a little nod to Bill working in Egypt in their 3rd year.


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